How to Apply

You must complete a Zoning and Development Review Application online at OneStopPGH, including payment of the appropriate filing fee, along with submitting an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Please submit the Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness form and any drawings, photographs, or other related documents within the OneStopPGH portal.

Completed applications must be received at least 13 business days prior to the HRC hearing when a hearing is required. In order to confirm your spot on the agenda, you must confirm that your application has been received by emailing historicreview@pittsburghpa.gov.

Historic Nomination forms can also be filed on OneStopPGH, however, a pre-application meeting with staff must be requested first. This meeting request is made in OneStopPGH.

Additional resources for Historic Districts and Properties:

• National Park Service Technical Briefs
• National Register Bulletin 16A: Guidelines for Completing National Register of Historic Places

Historic District Guidelines

• Allegheny West
• Allegheny Commons Park
• Alpha Terrace
• Deutschtown
• East Carson Street
• East Carson Street Sign
• Manchester
• Market Square
• Mexican War Streets
• Murray Hill Avenue
• Oakland Civic Center
• Oakland Square
• Penn Liberty Design

Historic District Maps

• Allegheny Commons Parks
• Allegheny West
• Alpha Terrace
• Deutschtown
• East Carson
• General Historic District Map
• Lemmon Row
• Manchester
• Market Square
• Mexican War Streets
• Mexican War Streets Expansion
• Murray Hill Avenue
• Oakland Civic Center
• Oakland Square
• Penn Liberty
• Roslyn Place
• Schenley Farms

Agendas, presentations, and project information for upcoming meetings are posted on this page in the Meeting Material section below for review and to accept public comment leading to the Board or Commission meeting. To provide public comment, you can:

• Email testimony to historicreview@pittsburghpa.gov - Email testimony will be accepted until the business day before the meeting at 12 p.m. 
• Mail a letter to 200 Ross St., 4th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 - Mailed testimony must be received by two business days before the meeting.
• Join the virtual meeting - Use raise hand function to request to speak during the relevant agenda item.
• Call into the Zoom Meeting on your phone - Press *9 to use the raise hand function and be called on to speak during the relevant agenda item.

• Lucia M. Aguirre, Chairperson
• Andrew Dash, Director, Department of City Planning
• Dave Green, Secretary, Assistant Director of the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections
• Matthew Falcone
• Karen Loysen
• Richard Snipe
• James Hill

The rules and procedures of the Commission ensure the care of all historic properties in the City of Pittsburgh.

Development Activities Meetings give citizens, property owners, business owners, and stakeholders and the opportunity to learn about proposals that affect them and resolve concerns at an early stage of the application process. If your project falls within the boundaries of a Registered Community Organization AND will be going to Historic Review Commission for Hearing, a meeting will be required.

Pleae see the links below for additional information about historic preservation in Pittsburgh:

• Historic Preservation
• Historic Nominations
• Architecture Inventory
• Economics Benefits
• Historic Districts

What does a historic nomination and designation do?

• 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
  • Economic Benefits Report

What can’t a historic nomination and designation do?

• Force an owner to restore their property
• Force an owner to fix their property
• Necessarily prevent a determined owner from demolishing their property

Who can submit a historic nomination?

• The 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 before the nomination
• Please note that nomination of a religious structure may not be possible and historic district nominations are subject to additional requirements

What are the criteria for historic designation?

• Location as a site of a significant historic or prehistoric event or activity
• Identification with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the cultural, historic, architectural, archaeological, or related aspect of the development of the City of Pittsburgh, the State of Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic region, or the United States
• Exemplification of an architectural type, style, or design distinguished by innovation, rarity, uniqueness, or overall quality of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship.
• Identification as the work of an architect, designer, engineer, or builder whose individual work is significant in the history or development of the City of Pittsburgh, the State of Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic region, or the United States
• Exemplification of important planning and urban design techniques distinguished by innovation, rarity, uniqueness, or overall quality of design or detail
• Location as a site of an important archaeological resource
• Association with significant cultural or social aspects or events in the history of the City of Pittsburgh, the State of Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic region, or the United States.
• Exemplification of a neighborhood development pattern or settlement significant to the cultural history or traditions of the City, whose components may lack individual distinction
• Representation of a cultural, historical, architectural, archaeological, or related theme expressed through distinctive areas, properties, sites, structures, or objects that may or may not be contiguous
• Unique location or distinctive physical appearance or presence representing an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or the City of Pittsburgh

Any area, property, site, structure, or object that meets any one or more of the criteria listed above shall also have sufficient integrity of location, design, materials, and workmanship to make it worthy of preservation or restoration.

How are historic nominations approved?

• The Historic Review Commission provides a recommendation to City Council
• The Planning Commission provides a recommendation to City Council
• City Council holds a public meeting on the nomination to take public comment
• City Council makes the final decision regarding whether a property or district is worthy of historic designation

What is the first step in the process?

Please email a draft nomination to the Historic Preservation Staff for preliminary approval before filing the nomination. Please note that the process is different for individual nominations and districts. 

How long does the process take?

Under typical circumstances, it takes roughly nine months for a nomination to move from submission to a City Council decision. 

What are the submission requirements?

After preliminary approval from staff, nominators are required to submit their completed nomination and all appendices online through OneStopPGH.

How much is the nomination fee?

The fee for an individual property is $100. The fee for a district is based on a sliding scale of how many properties are included in the boundaries.  Nomination fees are non-refundable.

Should the applicant attend the hearings?

In-person comments are welcome at hearings. A nominator should work with the Historic Preservation Staff to determine which hearings are most important to attend.

What happens when a historic nomination is approved?

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. See the Historic Preservation Code for more information

For more information:

For any additional information, please email historicreview@pittsburghpa.gov.