Certificate of Appropriateness-Minor Works

Step 1.Pre-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.

Step 2.Application Review

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.

Step 3.Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)

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.

Step 4.Conversion to Major Work Application

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.

Step 1.Electronic Submissions

All applications must be submitted electronically by emailing the Historic Preservation team. 

Step 2.Application Components

All application components (e.g. application, information required for each alteration type , etc.) must be submitted individually and named accordingly.

Step 3.Large Files

Please contact the Historic Preservation team to make arrangements for files that exceed email limits.

Step 4.Professional Seals

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).

Step 1.Fee Amount

Application fees(PDF, 107KB) 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.

• $17,999 or less: $0
• $18,000-$24,999: $20
• $25,000-$49,999: $25
• $50,000-$99,999: $35
• $100,000-$499,000: $50
• $500,000 and more: $100

Step 2.Payment Options

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)

• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday except for holidays)
• Limited to VISA and MasterCard payments.

Payment in Person

• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday except for holidays)
• Billing & Collections Office
  Skyline Center
  929 North Front Street, 1st Floor

Payment by Mail
Please include invoice number or account number

• Regular Mail
  City of Wilmington Collections
  PO Box 1810
  Wilmington, NC 28402
• Express Mail
  City of Wilmington Collections

  929 North Front Street, 1st Floor
  Wilmington, NC 28401