The City of Lawrence, Kansas created the Historic Resources Commission under Chapter 22 of the city code in the late 1980s. The commission is responsible for identifying distinctive architectural characterstics and historic resources in the city that represent the city's cultural, socio-economic, political, and architectural history; fostering civic pride in the city; conserving and improving value of property in and around areas that have been designated as historic landmarks or districts; encourating preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of structures, areas, and neighborhoods in the city; and educating the general public about historic preservation and how these resources benefit individual property owners and the larger community.

Three members of the commission are required to have preservation backgrounds, such as in architecture, history, landscape architecture, or planning. Four members come from a diversity of professionrs or are lay people with demonstrated interest, knowledge, or training in fields related to historic preservation, including those areas mentioned above as well as archaeology, real estate, law, finance, urban design, geography, or the building trades.

The Lawrence Historic Resources Commission also serves as the Certified Local Government (CLG) Review Board for the city of Lawrence, which means it can make determinations about projects falling under state historic preservation legislation. This is established through an agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).