Mills Act

The Mills Act is a California state law that allows cities to enter into contracts with the owners of historic structures.

[1] The Mills Act is recognized by the state of California as the "single most important economic development incentive program in California for the restoration and preservation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners.

[2] The Mills Act has been credited with saving thousands of historic buildings from destruction in California.

[3] Each local government establishes their own criteria and determines how many contracts they will allow in their jurisdiction.

[2] For example, the City of Pasadena Historic Property Contract Program was established by ordinance in October 2002 under the authority of the Mills Act (California Government Code, Article 12, Sections 50280-50290).