The Commission meets regularly on the second Monday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Meeting Hall, 201 Front Street, Danville. A majority of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

The Commission shall elect a Chair and a Secretary from among its members. The Chair and the Secretary serve for a term of one year and until the successor of each is appointed and qualified.

The powers and duties of the Commission are to:

1. Establish criteria and conduct an ongoing comprehensive survey of properties within the boundaries of the Town in order to identify historically and architecturally significant improvements and sites that exemplify the cultural, social, educational, economic, political or architectural history of the nation, State or Town;
2. Establish and maintain an inventory of improvements, sites and areas deemed deserving of official recognition and to investigate and recommend to the Town Council the designation of those improvements, sites or areas having special historic, community or architectural value;
3. Draft and implement a Heritage Resource Ordinance to protect and preserve those resources to be designated by the Commission;
4. Keep a register of officially designated heritage resources in the Town, including all information required for each designation;
5. Recommend to the Town Council a list of incentives and promote its use in encouraging property owners to participate in the heritage resource preservation program;
6. Advise and assist property owners on the physical and financial aspects of preservation, renovation, rehabilitation, landscaping or maintenance of any heritage resource;
7. Develop and adopt standards and specific design guidelines for the alteration, construction, rehabilitation or removal of designated improvements;
8. Review and decide upon applications referred by the Planning Department for construction, alteration, removal or demolition affecting improvements, as well as applications for grading, tree removal, or other work to be performed upon sites of historical significance;
9. Inform and educate the citizens of Danville as to the heritage of the Town and to encourage their participation in achieving historical and architectural preservation;
10. Investigate and report to the Town Council on the use of various Federal, State, local or private funding sources and mechanisms available to promote historic resource preservation in the Town;
11. Cooperate with local, County, State and Federal governments in the pursuit of the objectives of historic preservation; and
12. Perform such other duties and functions as prescribed by the Town Council.

When making appointments, the Town Council may select persons specially qualified by reason of training, experience or interest in the historic and cultural traditions of the Town. Membership shall include: (a) one member of the Planning Commission; (b) one member who is knowledgeable in the field of construction or structural rehabilitation, such as an engineer, contractor or urban planner; (c) one licensed architect; (d) one property owner; and (e) one person who has demonstrated interest, competence or knowledge in the culture/arts of the community; and (f) at least two people who have demonstrated interest, competence or knowledge in the field of history, archaeology or geography.

All members of the Heritage Resource Commission must be residents of the Town of Danville.

The term of office of each member of the Commission is four (4) years unless otherwise determined by the Town Council.