Certificates of Appropriateness

How do I apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)?

If a property is located in one of the districts on the Historic Districts Map, it is subject to review by the Historic Preservation Commission through the Certificate of Appropriateness process. You can find the additional information about the historic and conservation districts, maps, and guidelines at Local Historic Districts.

For any questions regarding historic properties or local designations, please contact Noah Sandweiss, the Historic Preservation Program Manager for the City of Bloomington, at (812) 349-3507 or noah.sandweiss@bloomington.in.gov.

INSTRUCTIONS TO PETITIONERS

1. No fee is required for submission.
2. The petitioner must attend a preliminary meeting with staff of the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development during which the petitioner will be advised as to the appropriateness of the request and the process of obtaining a Certificate of Appropriateness. This can be done in person, via the phone, or teleconference.
3. Application for the Certificate of Appropriateness: The Bloomington Historic Preservation Map provides the historic district and historic building survey. You need to open the layers and click on “Historic Sites and Survey” to find the historic ratings which are color coded.
4. Communicate with the Monroe County Building Department and the City of Bloomington’s Planning and Transportation Department in order to verify if there are additional requirements.
5. In the historic districts listed on the bottom of the page, the petitioner should contact the historic district construction subcommittee and acquire their feedback as early in the process as possible.
6. The petitioner must file a complete application that includes all of the required documents with Housing and Neighborhood Department Staff no later than fourteen days before a scheduled regular meeting.

CHECKLIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

• Filled and signed Application for the Certificate of Appropriateness
• Written description of the nature of the proposal.
• Written description of all of the proposed materials to be used.
• Between 3 and 5 photographs of the historic site and/or structure before changes.
• Scaled drawings or sketches, manufacturer’s brochures, and/or photographic precedents showing the proposed alterations to the exterior, additions, changes, or new construction. A grid with tips on how to use it has been made available to facilitate drawing (All images must be clear and submitted either in a physical format or as 150-300 dpi jpg, png, or pdf.).
• A map of the site with the site boundaries indicated (GIS imagery from sites such as the Elevate tax maps available at (https://monroein.elevatemaps.io/ or Google Maps (maps.google.com) are acceptable).
• In the case that the historic district in which the property is located has a construction subcommittee, it is highly advisable to contact and review your project with said committee before submitting the application. Contact information for the committee representatives is available upon request from the Historic Preservation Program Manager.
  • Elm Heights Historic District
  • Greater Prospect Hill Historic District
  • Matlock Heights Historic District
  • Maple Heights Historic District
  • McDoel Gardens Historic District
  • Near West Side Historic District

Where do I go?

The petitioner, owner or a delegated representative must attend the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission (BHPC) Meeting. The BHPC meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 5:00 P.M. in a hybrid fashion, at the McCloskey Room (401 N Morton St., Room 135) and via Zoom (with a link to be provided). The petitioner will be notified of the Commission’s decision and a Certificate of Appropriateness will be issued to them. Copies of the Certificate must accompany any building permit application subsequently filed for the work described. If the petitioner feels uncertain of the merits of the petition, they also have the right to attend a preliminary hearing, which will allow you to discuss the proposal with the Commission before the hearing during which action is taken. Action on a filing must occur within thirty days of the filing date, unless a preliminary hearing is requested.

Historic Commission meetings are scheduled the second and fourth Thursday of every month and are held in the McCloskey Room (135) of Showers City Hall at 5 PM. You or your representative should plan to appear to answer questions. 

Meetings are currently being held via Zoom. The link can be found on the City Calendar under Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission on the scheduled meeting dates.

Please follow the link below to view the 2024 schedule of Historic Preservation Commission meetings:

• Historic Preservation Commission Meeting 2023 Schedule

• Historic Preservation Commission Meeting 2024 Schedule

What do I receive if my COA application is approved?

A Certificate of Appropriateness is much like a building permit. It should be displayed in your window while work is in progress. If your work also requires a building permit from the Monroe County Building Department, the COA should be attached to that application.