Certificates of Appropriateness

In issuing Certificates of Appropriateness, the Lee County Historic Preservation Ordinance requires a review of the proposed project. In alterations to contributing properties, this review is for compliance with the US Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. For Non-contributing properties, including new construction on vacant sites, this review is for compliance with the Guidelines for New Construction and Remodeling of Non-Contributing Buildings.

There are two types of Certificates, Regular and Special:

• A Regular Certificate of Appropriateness (RCA) is issued by the county staff for "ordinary maintenance and repair." This certificate is usually issued on the same day as the application is filed - though the ordinance allows up to five (5) days for processing an RCA. Download a Regular Certificate of Appropriateness Application here.
• A Special Certificate of Appropriateness (SCA) is issued for any alteration, demolition, relocation, reconstruction, excavation or new construction that would result in a change to the original appearance of the resource. An SCA is issued after a public hearing before the Historic Preservation Board. Download a Special Certificate of Appropriateness Application here.

NOTE:

For a project requiring an SCA, applicants are encouraged to contact the Division of Planning to request a pre-application conference while the project is still in a conceptual stage. Because historic resources often do not conform to many current regulations, the pre-application conference provides an opportunity for an application to discuss the problems associated with a particular project and explore creative approaches to those problems. Staff familiar with historic preservation, zoning, development standards and codes are available for consultation during the pre-application conference.