Historic Districts

The October 12, 2022 HDC meeting will be held as a hybrid in-person/online meeting. The final agenda is available here.

The public is welcome to attend and submit comments. If you wish to submit written comments or evidence to the commission, please submit all items to HDC staff no later than 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.  

If you wish to participate in the meeting via WebEx, contact Cindy Kochanek at cynthia.kochanek@charlottenc.gov with your name, email address, phone number and agenda item of interest no later than 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. Once registered, a city staff person will reach out with information about participating in the virtual meeting. 

If you wish to access the meeting as an observer only, the meeting will be streamed live on the CLT Planning YouTube page or can be accessed via telephone in listen-only mode. Call in information will be provided here by 10 a.m. on the day of the meeting. Technical support will not be provided once the HDC meeting has started.

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HDC application fees changed on July 1, 2022. Staff will notify applicants via email of the required fee amount due. Payment of fees cannot be accepted before that time. Currently, electronic fee payments are not accepted for HDC projects. For more information, please see HDC Application Instructions on the Application for Certificate of Appropriateness page.

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All existing deadlines are still in effect. The next HDC application & final plans deadline for full commission review is October 5, 2022.

Due to an increased case volume, there is a few months wait for the review of full commission applications. Applications are added to agendas in the order they are received and HDC staff will keep applicants updated as to when their full commission applications will be heard.


​​Eight of Charlotte's significant older neighborhoods have been designated by City Council as Local Historic Districts, in recognition of their importance in the history and character of the city. The twelve member Historic District Commission (HDC) and its staff work with property owners and businesses in the districts to assure that development and renovation occurs in a manner that is consistent with the character of the neighborhood.  Any changes made to the exterior of a property in a historic district requires review by the HDC or its staff. The HDC Design Standards provide guidance on the types of projects and materials that are permitted and if they require review by staff or the commission. New Charlotte Historic District Design Standards were adopted on December 8, 2021. Cases submitted on or after December 8, 2021 are subject to the new HDC Design Standards linked in the image below. Cases submitted prior to that date are considered under the previous HDC Design Standards. 

HDC Design Standards Cover

HDC Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)

A Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) must be obtained prior to work commencing on the exterior of a resource within a local historic district.  A COA is a document issued by the Historic District Commission (HDC), that indicates the Commission has approved of the proposed work on a resource or property within a local historic district. For more information on the HDC COA process, pre-submittal meetings, deadlines and to apply for a HDC COA, please see the Application for Certificate of Appropriateness page.

Need to report work done without a COA? Please report it here. 

Meetings

2nd Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. (except where a City holiday requires a change in date).  Please consult the meeting schedule for details.

Location

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.
See the specific HDC meeting agendafor room location.

Charlotte Historic District Interactive Map

The Charlotte Historic District map is an interactive program that allows users to view descriptions of applications for Certificates of Appropriateness which are highlighted on the District maps in bold color. You can search by street address, parcel ID, application number or by clicking on the parcel. If there are multiple projects per parcel, you will be able to advance through each description by clicking on the arrow at the top right of the pop-up box. If you need further assistance there is a help icon on the application. 

Static Image of Map for HDC Review Cases

Local District Information