Check your address first. The City's Historic Districts page names five: the Theater Historic District (HD), the Residential Historic District (HD-R), the Mixed-Use Historic District (HD-MU), the Downtown Commercial Historic District Overlay (CBD-HDO) and the Carolina Heights/Winoca Terrace Historic District Overlay (HDO). It points to the City Zoning Districts Map to see whether a property is inside one; the rules below apply only there.
Minor works or major works
| Job | Who decides | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Roof, in-kind replacement | Staff (minor works) | Minor works page |
| Roof, new material, structural change or chimney removal | Historic Preservation Commission | Major works page |
| Storm windows and storm doors | Staff | Minor works page |
| New windows or doors other than identical replacements | Commission | Major works page |
| Rear yard deck | Staff | Minor works page |
| Fence on an interior lot | Staff | Minor works page |
| Fence on a corner lot, under 3 ft or over 6 ft | Commission | Major works page |
| Brick walkways, driveways and patios; shutters; awnings; sheds | Staff | Minor works page |
| Removing asbestos siding | Staff | Minor works page |
| Painting brickwork | Commission | Major works page |
| New pool, addition, new house, demolition | Commission | Major works page |
| Removing five or more trees or changing topography | Commission | Major works page |
Any tree removal in a district needs both a Tree Removal Permit and a COA. Staff judge applications against the Historic Districts Design Standards, which, the City says, do not impose a particular architectural style.
Fees and timing
The same fee table applies to minor and major works, based on estimated project cost and paid before review:
| Estimated project cost | COA fee |
|---|---|
| $17,999 or less | No fee |
| $18,000 to $24,999 | $20 |
| $25,000 to $49,999 | $25 |
| $50,000 to $99,999 | $35 |
| $100,000 to $499,000 | $50 |
| $500,000 and more | $100 |
| Work already started or completed | Base fee plus $100 |
Major works also carry a $1.00 mailed-notice fee per notice for applications received on or after 1 July 2026, invoiced during review and due within five business days (major works page). A major works application needs a pre-application meeting first (email preservation@wilmingtonnc.gov or call 910.254.0900), and applications are taken monthly on the Commission's schedule; one received after the deadline moves to the next month. Commission hearings are evidentiary, so you or your contractor testify under oath. Everything is filed through the City's Development & Permitting Services portal; paper is no longer accepted.
What it means for hiring a contractor
- Sequence. The COA comes first, then the County building permit. A contractor who quotes a start date inside two weeks for a major-works job (new windows, an addition, a pool) has not allowed for the monthly Commission cycle.
- Who files. The pages do not say whether the owner or the contractor must apply. Agree in writing who files the COA and who attends the pre-application meeting.
- Match the drawings. Work has to follow the approved COA unless a revision is approved. A crew that swaps in a different window or roof product mid-job can trigger reversal or civil penalties, and the cost of undoing it belongs in the contract.
- COA extensions. A six-month extension is minor work, but the written request has to arrive before the COA expires.
Compare Wilmington remodel contractors by permit record →
What New Hanover County permits on Wilmington homes show
These counts are for the whole city, not only the historic districts.
| Measure | Remodel and repair | Windows, doors and siding | Decks, porches and sunrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 591 | 155 | 315 |
| Firms | 259 | 68 | 123 |
| Firms with a single permit | 56.4% | 76.5% | 73.2% |
| Busiest month | July | May | December |
The usual remodel permit took 231 days from issue to completion and only 56.0% of those a year or more old were finished, so a historic-district job should be planned in months, not weeks. The market is spread thin: 56.4% of remodel firms filed just one permit, and the five busiest held 15.1%. A contractor with a record of finished permits, and of COAs on the City's agendas, is worth the wait.
Related
How to look up the County permit: Wilmington, NC building permit search. Licenses: Wilmington, NC contractor license lookup. The same process in Raleigh: Raleigh historic district COA. Counts by year: Wilmington permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
Our file is New Hanover County building permits. It does not include COAs, does not flag which homes are in a historic district, and has no filed values for these trades, so it cannot price a historic-district job or show which contractors work in the districts.
How we know this
The COA rules and fees are from the City of Wilmington's minor works, major works and historic districts pages, read 23 October 2026. Permit counts are New Hanover County building permits on homes inside Wilmington city limits in our remodel and repair, windows and siding, and deck and porch categories, October 2023 to September 2026; the finished share uses permits a year or more old.
Numbers come from New Hanover County Building Safety permits on homes inside the City of Wilmington (the County issues the City's building permits), data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace my roof in Wilmington?
Yes, if the house is in a local historic district or historic overlay. An in-kind roof replacement is minor work that staff can approve; changing the roofing material, making structural changes or removing a chimney is major work for the Historic Preservation Commission.
- How long does a minor works COA take in Wilmington?
The City says complete minor works applications are typically reviewed within 7 to 10 business days. Incomplete applications, or ones that need changes to meet the design standards, take longer, and staff can send an application to the Commission as major work.
- How much is a COA in Wilmington, NC?
The fee follows the estimated project cost: none up to $17,999, $20 from $18,000, $25 from $25,000, $35 from $50,000, $50 from $100,000 and $100 from $500,000. Work already started or finished pays the base fee plus $100.
- Can I replace windows in a Wilmington historic district?
Storm windows and storm doors are minor work. New windows or doors other than identical replacements are major works and need Historic Preservation Commission approval, which runs on a monthly cycle after a required pre-application meeting.
- What happens if a contractor works without a COA in Wilmington?
The City says work that does not match an approved COA 'may result in a requirement to reverse the work and/or civil penalties', and a retroactive application costs the base fee plus $100.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Burlington, VT contractor license lookup: OPR registration, electrician and plumber licenses, and the permits
- Home improvement costs in Burlington, VT (2026): what 7 kinds of jobs were filed at
- How to check a contractor's registration in Vermont
- Albuquerque contractor license lookup: the CID license, its classification and the City permits
- Chicago porch rules: when a repair needs a permit, the 100 psf load rule, and who can build it
For one city
- Wilmington, NC building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Wilmington, NC contractor license lookup: which state board, the County's COAST portal and the permits
- Do I need an electrical permit in Wilmington, NC? Outlets, lights, service changes and generators: the County chart, the $60 fee, inspections
- Certificate of Appropriateness-Minor Works — City of Wilmington (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Certificate of Appropriateness-Major Works — City of Wilmington (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Historic Districts — City of Wilmington (accessed 2026-10-23)