City Planning assists residents through the process it takes to designate landmarks and historic districts located in the City of Pittsburgh. If you are interested in nominating a structure, site, object, or district to the City register, contact Historic Preservation staff at historicreview@pittsburghpa.gov. Historic Nominations are reviewed by the Historic Review Commission, the Planning Commission, and approved by City Council.
A property's owner of record or any person presently residing in the City of Pittsburgh who has established residency in the City for at least one year may submit a historic nomination. Please note that a nomination of a religious structure may not be possible and historic district nominations are subject to additional requirements.
At least one of the ten criteria listed in the Historic Preservation Code must be met for Historic Designation. Review the list of Criteria prior to starting a nomination application. The list of Criteria is available under Supporting Documents.
Visit OneStopPGH to create an account. All submissions and review comments are organized through your OneStopPGH account and application record number.
Complete the Historic Nomination application, submit to OneStopPGH, and pay the applicable fee. Historic Nomination applications are under Planning Applications -> Historic Nomination Application. Fees are non-refundable. The downloadable application and fee schedule are available within the side panel on this webpage.
Once submitted to OneStopPGH, staff will review the nomination for correctness and completeness. Additional information may be required if staff determines the application is incomplete. A nomination is accepted for review once Historic Preservation staff completes the "Completeness Check" review process in OneStopPGH. Once Completeness Check is accepted and the application moves into staff review, City Planning staff will notify the applicant via email.
Upon accepting the application, staff will also notify the property owner of record of the Nomination via mail.
Note: Per Section 1101.03 of the Historic Preservation Code, no demolition permit shall be issued for a nominated structure, site, or object beginning with the date of receipt of an accepted nomination form. The date of receipt is the date Completeness Check is accepted.
Once a Historic Nomination application completes the "Completeness Check" review process in OneStopPGH, the application enters into application review. The below steps illustrate the typical public meeting process an application takes from submission to a City Council decision.
If the proposed Nomination is within a Registered Community Organization, a Development Activities Meeting (DAM) is required 30 days before the first Historic Review Commission (HRC) public hearing.
Per Section 1101.03 of the Historic Preservation Code, City Planning staff shall schedule a meeting for the HRC to make a preliminary determination concerning the nomination, deciding if there is reasonable cause to determine the application meets the definitions for a district, structure, site, or object. A short presentation by the applicant is requested. Meetings are held in-person and virtually. If approved, the application is scheduled for a Public Hearing
At the HRC public meeting, the Commission will consider the nomination. HRC hears testimony from the nominator, City staff, the property owner, and general public. If considered favorably, the Commission provides a recommendation to City Council. Meetings are held in-person and virtually.
Note: Per Section 1101.03 of the Historic Preservation Code, the Commission shall schedule a public hearing with three months following receipt of a completed nomination form.
In addition to Historic Review Commission, nominations are also considered by Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will hear public testimony and if considered favorably, the Planning Commission provides a recommendation to City Council. Historic Preservation staff will work with the applicant on scheduling a Planning Commission meeting date. Meetings are held in-person and virtually.
City Council holds a public meeting on the proposed nomination. City Planning staff will work with the applicant on scheduling a meeting date. Meetings are held in-person and virtually.
City Council makes the final decision regarding whether a property or district is worthy of historic designation. If approved, the property or district will be listed on the City register.
If City Council approves a historic nomination, all external alterations to an individually listed property or those in a historic district are subject to review and approval by Historic Preservation Staff or the Historic Review Commission, depending on the scope of work. Violations are subject to citation by the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections and are treated the same as any building code violation.
Protects the exterior character of an individual property or district by requiring review of projects to specific standards.
Promotes sustainability by preserving buildings and building materials that already exist.
Positively impacts property values, neighborhood revitalization, tourism, job creation, and tax revenue generation.
Force an owner to restore their property.
Force an owner to fix their property.
Necessarily prevent a determined owner from demolishing their property.
City Historic Sites and Districts Map
City Historic Sites and Districts List
Preservation Code link
Who's My RCO link
DAM information