Certificate of Appropriateness

Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) Application Process

The COA application process is as follows:   

1.  COA Application deadline: The third Tuesday of the month at noon.  If the county offices are closed on this day (e.g. for holidays or inclement weather), then the application is due by noon on the next day that the County is open for business. No application fee is required.  
2. Staff review:  If the application is incomplete, the applicant will be asked to provide the required information. An ad is placed on the County website no less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting. Property owners within 100 feet of the COA site are notified of the COA request and public hearing date.  The property is posted with a Guilford County public meeting notice sign. 
3. Meeting date: The Guilford County Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) meets the third Tuesday of each month in the Old Courthouse, Blue Room, 301 W. Market St., Greensboro at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noticed. Location and time are subject to change; please call the Planning and Development Department for current information.
4. Evidentiary hearing: All persons speaking on evidentiary hearing items are sworn in.  The applicant or applicant’s designee makes the presentation.  The HPC members may ask questions of the applicant.  Members from the public are given the opportunity to speak in favor or in opposition. The HPC may have further questions for any speakers or the applicant. The evidentiary hearing is then closed to allow for discussion of motion among HPC members. A motion is then made to approve, approve with conditions, deny, table or postpone the COA application. The HPC may continue the application for reasons such as a request for more information, clarifications, or research of alternative methods or materials. 
5. COA issuance: The COA must be presented by the applicant to the Permitting Division at the address above before a Building Permit can be issued for improvements to a Historic Landmark property. COAs are valid for one (1) year after the date of approval.