Offices and review bodies
State SHPO
District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office
- Covered properties
- District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office is the State Historic Preservation Office for DC. It handles National Register nominations, Section 106 consultation, survey records, preservation planning, tax-credit coordination, and staff review for landmarks and districts. Homeowners usually interact with it when a rowhouse, apartment building, church, alley structure, or commercial property is listed, contributes to a listed district, is in a tax-credit rehabilitation, or is touched by public funding or a federal permit; age alone, including a pre-1970 date, is a screening clue.
- Review process
- For private residential work, the SHPO/HPO does not replace DOB permits. It reviews National Register eligibility, federal undertakings, tax-credit applications, and local historic work routed through HPO or HPRB. Income-producing projects seeking the 20% federal credit use the National Park Service three-part certification, with HPO review before the NPS decision. The District percentage tracked here is null because the ordinary homeowner path is review, not a broad state rehabilitation credit. Local historic districts still require a Certificate of Appropriateness or staff approval before visible exterior work.
City commission
District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board
- Covered properties
- District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board covers DC landmarks, local historic districts, National Register districts reviewed through District law, and major work affecting designated properties. Covered houses include many pre-1970 rowhouses, flats, apartment buildings, alleys, churches, schools, and commercial structures, but designation or district status is the trigger.
- Review process
- HPRB reviews demolition, concept design, additions, visible roof changes, window and door replacements, new construction, rear or rooftop expansions, and cases too major for staff approval. Owners file a Certificate of Appropriateness or concept package through the Historic Preservation Office before DOB permits move. HPO staff can approve compatible minor work, while major changes go to a public HPRB meeting. Section 106 or National Park Service tax-credit review can run in parallel when federal money, permits, or credits are involved.
City commission
Old Georgetown Board / U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
- Covered properties
- Old Georgetown Board reviews exterior work in the Georgetown historic district under federal design-review authority. Covered properties include listed and contributing buildings, rowhouses, commercial storefronts, walls, roofs, windows, doors, additions, signs, paving, and site features in a district where many structures predate 1970 and contribute to National Register character.
- Review process
- For Georgetown, DOB permit review often routes exterior work to the Commission of Fine Arts and Old Georgetown Board. Owners should expect drawings, photos, materials, colors, and a Certificate of Appropriateness-style local preservation review before visible work begins. Staff can handle limited minor work, but larger alterations go to board review. Federal Section 106, National Park Service credit review, and HPO/HPRB processes can still matter when federal funding, permits, or certified rehabilitation credits are part of the project.
When you need preservation review
You need preservation review in District of Columbia when the property is locally designated, sits inside a local historic district, contributes to a National Register district, is individually listed, falls in Georgetown or another special review area, or is part of a project using federal money, federal permits, or historic tax credits. A building being old is not enough by itself; the practical screen is whether it is designated, eligible, or inside a mapped review area. Before replacing windows, changing porch or cornice details, removing masonry, cutting a new opening, adding a roof deck or rear addition, installing visible solar, changing storefronts, or demolishing an outbuilding, check the DC maps and ask whether a Certificate of Appropriateness, HPO staff review, HPRB concept review, CFA review, or DOB routing is required. Interior work is often outside local review unless it affects designated interiors, structure, public money, or a tax-credit scope. Building, zoning, lead-safe, energy-code, and public-space permits still apply separately.
Federal vs state tax credits
The federal rehabilitation tax credit is generally 20% of certified rehabilitation expenses for income-producing historic buildings. It does not apply to owner-occupied private residences, and it requires a certified historic structure plus work that meets the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. HPO reviews first, but the National Park Service decides certification and the IRS controls tax use. DC does not operate like a broad statewide homeowner rehabilitation credit in this seed, so the state credit percentage is left null. Treat credits mechanically: application timing, certified status, eligible basis, ownership, leasing, transfer rules, and recapture can change the real value. Local commissions usually do not award credits; they decide whether visible work is appropriate for the district.
Plan preservation review before pricing the job
Historic review can affect windows, siding, porches, masonry, roofing, additions, demolition, and visible site work. Confirm the local design-review path before ordering custom materials or signing a fixed-price contract.
Source: ProFix Editorial Team. Last updated 2026-06-09. This guide is informational and does not replace municipal ordinances, building permits, SHPO review, National Park Service review, tax advice, or legal counsel.