A certificate of appropriateness (COA) is required for exterior alterations to properties located within the city's local historic districts and historic overlays to ensure compatibility with the historic character of the district. Approval is based on the Wilmington Design Guidelines for Historic Districts and Landmarks(PDF, 9MB). The design standards do not impose a particular architectural style, but encourage compatible design and congruity. COAs for minor work may be approved by administrative bypass which allows the historic preservation planner to approve minor changes to properties to facilitate completion of smaller projects.
The following alterations may be considered for administrative approval. Please submit the information and documents identified for each alteration type that is included in your application.
A pre-application meeting is encouraged prior to submission of a minor works application. The purpose of the pre-application meeting is to provide general guidance on the proposed alterations. Pre-application meetings may be scheduled by emailing the Historic Preservation team or calling 910.254.0900.
Upon receipt of an application, staff will determine whether the application is complete. Complete applications are typically reviewed within 7-10 business days. Incomplete applications or applications that require revisions to comply with the Historic Design Standards require additional review time.
If the application is approved, a Certificate of Appropriateness will be issued. All work must be performed in accordance with the approved COA unless a revision is submitted and approved. Work performed that is not consistent with an approved COA may result in a requirement to reverse the work and/or civil penalties.
If staff finds the proposed alteration is ineligible for review as minor work or finds the alteration to be inconsistent with the design standards, the applicant has the option to withdraw the application or apply to the Historic Preservation Commission for approval of major work.
All applications must be submitted electronically by emailing the Historic Preservation team.
All application components (e.g. application, information required for each alteration type , etc.) must be submitted individually and named accordingly.
Please contact the Historic Preservation team to make arrangements for files that exceed email limits.
Professional seals (engineers, land surveyors, architects, etc) on digital plans must be redacted from digital copies submitted to the city for review. Please be sure to mark, strike through, or otherwise conceal any professional seal located on your digital (re)submittals (e.g., PDF).
Application fees are based on the estimated cost of the project/proposed improvements as shown below and must be paid in full prior to review of an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Fees for applications submitted for work that has already been started or completed (also known as retroactive or After the Fact) include the base fee noted below plus $100.
If you plan to pay in advance, planning staff must first notify the collections department to enable acceptance of payments.
Payment by Phone (910. 343.4745)
Payment in Person
Payment by Mail
929 North Front Street, 1st Floor Wilmington, NC 28401