District of Columbia Administrative Code

SIGNS FOR NON-CONTRIBUTING BUILDINGS AND SITES Signage on non-contributing buildings and sites can materially affect the streetscape of historic districts. These signs should be appropriate for the building or site where they are located and shall not detract from the character o…

MASTER PLANS FOR SIGNAGE The development of a coordinated master plan for signs is encouraged where a building, complex, or institution houses multiple tenants or activities requiring several signs, or where signs will be installed on multiple properties that were historically or…

TEMPORARY SIGNS Temporary signage serves a legitimate practical purpose and has little or no lasting impact on the character of historic property. HPO shall apply the criteria in this section when reviewing temporary signs under the authority delegated in § 320 of this subtitle. …

VINTAGE AND HISTORIC SIGNS Vintage and historic signs express distinctive characteristics or aesthetics of an earlier period and provide character to historic property. The Board and HPO shall evaluate vintage and historic signage for its significance and for preservation when it…

AWNINGS: GENERAL PRINCIPLES Awnings provide weather protection and may also identify or decorate buildings. Awnings shade windows and storefronts and can shelter pedestrians, but as a secondary function, they also provide an area for identifying the name or trade of an occupant. …

AWNINGS: SPECIFIC CRITERIA Awning design, placement, and type shall respect, take advantage of, and be compatible with the particular composition, design features, and architectural style of the historic property where it is installed. An awning shall be compatible in shape, size…

CANOPIES: GENERAL PRINCIPLES Canopies historically provided shelter and weather protection for the entrance to a building. Canopies also shaded show windows and sidewalks in a manner no longer permitted by construction codes. A canopy is appropriate where weather protection is a …

CANOPIES: SPECIFIC CRITERIA Canopy design, placement, and type shall respect, take advantage of, and be compatible with the particular composition, design features, and architectural style of the historic property where it is installed. A canopy shall be compatible in shape, size…

MARQUEES: GENERAL PRINCIPLES Marquees are permanent architectural elements traditionally associated with and only appropriate for larger buildings of a public or semi-public nature, such as apartment houses, hotels, department stores, theaters, and office buildings. Marquees prov…

MARQUEES: SPECIFIC CRITERIA A marquee shall be compatible with the character of the historic property or district where it is installed. A marquee attached to a historic building shall respect, take advantage of, and be compatible with the building’s particular composition, desig…

DEFINITIONS As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed below: Advertisement: The use of any image, text, logo, symbol, color, or other form of public announcement to encourage a commercial transaction or to market a business, entity, or commodit…

300 GENERAL PROVISIONS 300.1 The Historic Preservation Review Board and Commission of Fine Arts review and provide recommendations to the Mayor's Agent on proposed work affecting historic landmarks and districts (D.C. Official Code §§ 6-1104 through 6-1107). The Board also conduc…

301 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN REVIEW 301.1 Conceptual design review is not required before application for a permit, but is strongly encouraged for new construction, substantial alteration, or any other work requiring a significant financial outlay for the preparation of permit plans. 30…

302 PRELIMINARY REVIEW 302.1 Preliminary review is not required before application for a permit, but may be appropriate in occasional circumstances. Conceptual review is recommended as the preferred method of obtaining guidance on whether a proposal is consistent with the purpose…

303 PERMIT REQUIREMENTS: GENERAL 303.1 Permits are required for work affecting historic landmarks and historic districts, including demolition, alteration, subdivision, and new construction as described in D.C. Official Code §§ 6-1104 through 6-1107. The requirements for a constr…

304 PERMIT REQUIREMENTS: ALTERATION 304.1 Work considered an alteration under the Act shall include, but is not limited to, any of the following, regardless of whether or not the work is visible from public space: (a) Any alteration as defined in Chapter 99; (b) Any addition to t…

305 PERMIT REQUIREMENTS: DEMOLITION 305.1 Work considered demolition under the Act shall include, but is not limited to, any of the following, as determined by the Mayor's Agent: (a) The removal or destruction of any facade; (b) The removal or destruction of all or a substantial …

306 SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS 306.1 All applications including applications for conceptual or preliminary review shall be submitted to the Surveyor or the Permit Processing Division of DCRA, as appropriate. 306.2 No application substantially the same as an application denied by …

307 APPLICATION MATERIALS: FORMS AND FEES 307.1 Each application shall include a completed official application form, signed by the owner or authorized agent, together with any related filing documents required by DCRA or the staff. An application for demolition, alteration, or p…

308 APPLICATION MATERIALS: CERTIFICATIONS AND CLEARANCES 308.1 The application shall describe any outstanding permit violations for the property or any other historic properties under the applicant's ownership or direct control. If requested, the applicant shall submit a copy of …

309 APPLICATION MATERIALS: PHOTOGRAPHS 309.1 The application shall include comprehensive exterior photographs of the building, structure or site in question. 309.2 If the building, structure or site is in a historic district, the application shall also include photographs of the …

310 APPLICATION MATERIALS: ARCHITECTURAL PLANS 310.1 An application for conceptual review shall include architectural plans or model photographs sufficient to indicate the general exterior massing, composition or design of the proposed work within its surroundings. 310.2 An appli…

311 APPLICATION MATERIALS: PROJECT DESCRIPTION 311.1 An application for new construction or substantial addition, including conceptual and preliminary review, shall include a brief written project description indicating the general nature of the project. This description shall st…

312 APPLICATION MATERIALS: ACCURACY AND ADEQUACY OF INFORMATION 312.1 All application materials shall accurately represent the existing conditions of the property and the nature of the work proposed. The entire scope of the proposed project shall be accurately represented in the …

313 FILING DEADLINES 313.1 The Board may establish filing deadlines to allow sufficient time for staff review of applications before the Board meeting. The staff may defer to the next Board meeting any application not submitted in complete form, with all required information and …

314 NOTICE OF FILED APPLICATIONS 314.1 Notice of filed applications for demolition, alteration, subdivision, and new construction shall be placed in the D.C. Register as required by D.C. Official Code §§ 6-1104(a), 6-1105(a), 6-1106(a), and 6-1107(a), and Mayor's Order 79-50, as …

315 TRANSMITTAL OF APPLICATIONS TO THE MAYOR'S AGENT AND CFA 315.1 DCRA transmits applications to the Mayor's Agent and CFA in accordance with Mayor's Order 79-50, as amended, and implementing procedures it may adopt. 315.2 The Mayor's Agent receives all applications transmitted …

316 REFERRAL OF APPLICATIONS BY THE MAYOR'S AGENT 316.1 The Mayor's Agent shall refer to the Board all applications not referred to the Commission of Fine Arts. 316.2 The Mayor's Agent may refer to the Board any application referred to the CFA. The following considerations shall …

317 REVIEW BY THE COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS 317.1 The Commission of Fine Arts and the Old Georgetown Board review applications in accordance with procedures they adopt. 317.2 The HPO may evaluate applications referred to the CFA, and may coordinate with the CFA and its staff in rev…

318 REVIEW BY THE OFFICE OF PLANNING AND OTHER AGENCIES 318.1 The staff shall coordinate with the Office of Planning in reviewing any application for which the owner intends to demonstrate special merit. 318.2 The staff may coordinate with any other department or agency to which …

319 EXPEDITED REVIEW UNDER DELEGATION TO THE STAFF 319.1 The Board may delegate to the staff its authority to review certain applications for minor work not likely to have a significant effect upon the historic character of designated properties. These applications shall not requ…

320 CATEGORIES OF WORK DELEGATED TO THE STAFF 320.1 The staff is delegated authority to review the following types of work: (a) Construction of insignificant or clearly compatible minor additions or alterations; (b) Removal of insignificant or incompatible minor additions or alte…

321 PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS UNDER DELEGATED REVIEW 321.1 Upon receipt of an application, the staff shall determine whether delegated review is appropriate. If at any time during the consideration of an application, the staff determines that it is not appropriate for delegated …

322 REVIEW BY THE BOARD 322.1 The Board shall hold regular public meetings for the purpose of reviewing applications for work affecting historic landmarks or historic districts. All Board reviews shall occur at a public meeting. 322.2 The Board shall review applications scheduled…

323 NOTICE OF BOARD MEETING 323.1 Not less than fifteen (15) days before a public meeting, the Board shall give notice of the meeting by first class mail to all those listed on the public mailing list described in Chapter 32, and shall give fifteen (15) day notice by electronic m…

324 STAFF REVIEW BEFORE THE BOARD MEETING 324.1 Before consideration by the Board, the staff shall review each case and consult with the applicant as necessary. The staff shall assist the applicant in understanding the Board's procedures and in meeting the Board's standards and g…

325 REQUESTS FOR WITHDRAWAL OR DEFERRAL 325.1 An applicant may withdraw an application or may request a deferral of Board review by notifying the staff, in writing or otherwise, at any time. 325.2 If work has already been completed without the necessary permit, the staff may sche…

326 BOARD MEETING PROCEDURES 326.1 The Board shall hold its public meetings in accordance with the procedures in Chapter 31. 326.2 The Board shall conduct public review of cases in accordance with a proposed Agenda released to the public before the Board meeting. The Board shall …

327 CONSENT CALENDAR 327.1 An application may be placed on the Consent Calendar if the applicant and staff agree that the proposed work is consistent with the purposes of the Act, and there is no known objection by an affected ANC, historic preservation organization, or affected …

328 DENIAL CALENDAR 328.1 An application which has been denied by the staff pursuant to the Board's delegation of authority may be placed on the Denial Calendar. 328.2 Before submitting a case to the Board on the Denial Calendar, the staff shall inform the applicant of the reason…

329 POST-MEETING PROCEDURES 329.1 Subsequent to each meeting, the Board shall make available for public inspection the minutes and any written transcript that has been made of the proceedings. The transcript shall serve as the official record of the Board's decisions at the meeti…

330 REPORT OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE MAYOR'S AGENT 330.1 After reviewing an application under D.C. Official Code §§ 6-1104 through 6-1108, the Board shall report its recommendations to the Mayor's Agent. This recommendation is in addition to any recommendation the Mayor's Agent m…

331 FINAL REVIEWS DELEGATED TO THE STAFF 331.1 Upon completion of conceptual review, the Board may delegate final review to the staff, with any conditions or directions the Board deems appropriate. 331.2 If the Board approves a conceptual design and delegates final review to the …

332 CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL 332.1 The Board's recommendations on an application, including an application for conceptual design review and preliminary review, remains in effect for a period of two years from the date of the Board's action granting conceptual approval. Upon expirat…

333 SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES TO APPROVED PLANS 333.1 The applicants shall notify the staff of any change made to approved plans, either before or after permit issuance. A change includes any modification in the design, massing, proportions, dimensions, design, details, materials, fini…

3000 GENERAL PROVISIONS 3000.1 Public hearings by the Mayor's Agent shall be conducted according to the contested case procedures of the Administrative Procedure Act (D.C. Official Code § 2-509). 3000.2 The following terms specifically applicable to this chapter are defined in Ch…

3001 APPEARANCE AND REPRESENTATION 3001.1 In any proceeding before the Mayor's Agent, the following shall apply: (a) Any person or party may appear personally or through counsel; (b) A partner of a partnership may represent the partnership; (c) An officer or official of a corpora…

3002 STATUS OF PARTIES AND PERSONS 3002.1 The Mayor's Agent shall determine who will be recognized as a party at a public hearing. 3002.2 Any individual or organization not recognized as a party to a public hearing may participate as a person under these rules. SOURCE: Notice of …

3003 DUTIES OF THE MAYOR'S AGENT 3003.1 The Mayor's Agent shall be the presiding officer at the public hearing. 3003.2 As presiding officer, the Mayor's Agent shall have authority to perform the following duties: (a) Regulate the course of the hearing; (b) Dispose of procedural r…

3004 ORDER OF PROCEDURE 3004.1 The order of procedure for the public hearing shall be as follows, unless the Mayor's Agent determines otherwise for good cause: (a) Introductory statement by the presiding officer; (b) Consideration of pending motions and procedural matters; (c) Sw…