APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR A MINOR WORKS CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS

Minor Works are defined as those changes that do not involve substantial alterations, additions or removals that could impair the integrity of the historic landmark. The Consulting Director of the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Chairperson of the Design Review Committee of the Historic Landmarks Commission must jointly agree that an intended action constitutes a minor work. Minor works might include placing signs on a commercial property, repairing damaged architectural features with identical materials, or upfitting mechanical systems which causes no disturbance to the physical integrity of the historic landmark. If you believe that your intended action is a minor work, fill out the attached form and return it to:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
2100 Randolph Road
Charlotte, N.C. 28207

Special Note: Applicants who are seeking Federal or State income tax credits for certified rehabilitations should submit with this application a copy of the ruling from the National Park Service or the North Carolina Division of Archives and History that the plans accompanying this application meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards.

Also, it is most important that applicants become thoroughly familiar with State and Federal Investment Tax Credits that may be available for the rehabilitation of historic properties. Click here to read details about Federal and State Investment Tax Credits.

Instructions For Completing Application

Click here to see a video on the Design Review Process. This video will walk you through the entire process.

1. Make sure your application is complete. The Historic Landmarks Commission needs to understand exactly how the proposed changes will look and how they will affect the property. You may need to include photographs, a written description, plot and floor plans, drawings, samples of paint, sample of materials, etc. If available, electronic files are welcomed. JPEG files for photography and JPEG or PDF files for any drawings, plans, or elevations. If submitting hard copies, include three copies of any plans or drawings. If submitting hard copies, all materials should be on paper no larger than 11 X 17 inches.

2. Provide a plot plan with the application if the work involves such things as a storage building, a deck, fence, and sidewalks. The plot plan may be hand drawn, but it must be clear and accurate and contain measurements. If available, electronic JPEG or PDF files are preferable.

3. Submit photographs that depict where the intended changes will occur. Label each with the name of the landmark, the date the photograph was taken, the name of the photographer, and the portion of the landmark that is depicted. If submitting JPEG files, the files should be given a descriptive name.

3. Use black ink or type the application. Electronic files can be emailed to:

Stewart.Gray@mecklenburgcountync.gov

If you have any questions or if you are unsure about what you need to do, please our office at 376-9115.

Please be advised that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission uses the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings to determine whether an intended action is appropriate or inappropriate. Click here to read a copy of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. It is always instructive to see local examples of how the standards have been applied. Click here to see. Contractors and architects who want to find answers to such hands-on questions as how to you clean historic buildings, re-point brick, etc. should consult the Preservation Briefs published by the National Park Service. Click here to see on-line Preservation Briefs.

If you live in a local historic district and live in Charlotte, you must also obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Charlotte Historic District Commission. For further information on this subject, contact Wanda Birmingham at 336-2302. If you live in Davidson, call the Davidson Town Hall.

rev. 08-11

APPLICATION FOR A MINOR WORKS CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS

Please type or use black ink.

Return to:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
2100 Randolph Road
Charlotte, N.C. 28207

I, the undersigned, do hereby apply for a Minor Works Certificate of Appropriateness for the following project that will change the appearance of a designated Historic Landmark.

Does your pending project require a Federal or State license, permit or approval? Yes. No.

Name of Landmark:

__________________________________________________________________

Address of Landmark:

________________________________________________________________

Owned by:

_________________________________________________________________________

Tax Parcel Number (s) of the Historic Landmark: __________________________________________

Please detail in the space below and list the reasons why the alterations which you intend to make to the subject Historic Landmark should be designated as Minor Works, meaning that they do not constitute a major change to the subject Historic Landmark. The Chairman of the Design Review Committee of the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Consulting Director of the Historic Landmarks Commission must jointly agree as to whether your intended alterations should be designated as Minor Works. The Design Review Chairman and the Consulting Director may jointly agree to issue a Minor Works Certificate of Appropriateness.

Issuance of a Minor Works Certificate of Appropriateness shall not relieve the applicant, contractor, tenant, or property owner from obtaining any permit required by the City or County Code or law. Moreover, owners of properties in local historic districts must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Charlotte Historic District Commission. All Minor Works Certificates of Appropriateness approved jointly by the Design Review Chairman of the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Consulting Director of the Historic Landmarks Commission shall be reported as information to the Historic Landmarks Commission's next regularly scheduled meeting. If a Minor Works Certificate of Appropriateness is not approved, the applicant may appeal that decision to the Historic Landmarks Commission at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Name of Applicant: _____________________________________

Telephone No. _____________

Applicant's Mailing Address: _______________________________________________________

City_________________________________State____________Zip Code_________

Applicant's Signature: _______________________________________

Date: _______________

rev. 8/94

Fee Schedule

Please be advised that a Minor Works Certificate Of Appropriateness Application must be accompanied by a check in the amount of $100 made out to Mecklenburg County.

The Secretary Of The Interior's Standards For Rehabilitation

1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.

2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.

3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.

4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.

5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be reserved.

6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.

7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.

8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.

9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.

10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

Please follow as closely as possible the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings standards and issues. A copy can be supplied to you by the HLC office for $15.00 upon request. These are the HLC's guidelines for all application reviews. Kindly address only issues that are a part of the standards that the HLC must apply.