Durham COA Deadlines and Rules for 2026 Projects

If you own a house in one of Durham's eight local historic districts, such as Watts-Hillandale, Morehead Hill, Trinity Heights or Cleveland Street, your project calendar runs on the Historic Preservation Commission's (HPC) schedule as much as your contractor's. This guide pulls together the 2026 dates and the rules that most often catch owners off guard.

The districts

Durham's local historic districts are Cleveland Street, Downtown Durham, Fayetteville Street, Golden Belt, Holloway Street, Morehead Hill, Trinity Heights and Watts-Hillandale. Local landmarks follow the same COA process. Check your parcel on DurhamMaps with the historic layers turned on. National Register-only areas, like Trinity Park, don't need a COA.

Rules that surprise people

• Visibility doesn't matter. A COA is required whether or not the change is visible from the street. Backyard work counts.
• Every property in a district is covered, regardless of its age or significance.
• Site work counts. Landscaping, lighting, paving, walls and fences, and above-ground utilities can need a COA, not just the house.
• Maintenance is the exception. Repainting a previously painted surface or replacing small amounts of material with no change in appearance, design or material doesn't need one.

Three levels of review

The city publishes a Classification of Work chart that lists common scopes; use it before you assume a category.

The 2026 calendar

Major COAs follow a fixed cycle: an application deadline, staff comments about two weeks later, a final deadline to resolve all comments, then the hearing on the first Tuesday of the month at 9:00 a.m. Selected dates from the city's 2026 schedule:

An application is scheduled for a hearing only when it is complete and free of comments. Miss the final deadline, and you slide to the next month.

Before you apply for a major COA

• Book the pre-submittal conference. It's required for major COAs and is scheduled online with a preservation planner.
• Bring the checklist materials. Drawings, photos, materials and site information.
• Expect public notice. Adjacent owners are mailed written notice and a sign is posted on the property.

After approval

• A COA is valid for two years, or as long as an associated building permit is active.
• The COA isn't the only approval. Building permits come from City-County Building & Safety, and other zoning approvals may apply.
• Appeals of HPC decisions go to Durham Superior Court by petition within 30 days.

How the COA fits with the building permit

Think of the COA as the first gate and the building permit as the second. Durham's preservation staff review appearance, materials and site; City-County Building & Safety reviews structure and code compliance. Residential plans go to Building & Safety through Dplans, and contractors handle trade permits and inspection requests in LDO. Building & Safety's rule of thumb is that load-bearing work, or any project over $40,000 in market value, needs a building permit. If your design changes during permit review, for example a beam that requires a different roofline, check with preservation staff before building it, because the COA approved a specific design.

If work started without a COA

Durham warns that starting without approval can delay permits and lead to a Notice of Violation, and that owners may face a daily fine of $500 for each day of non-compliance after the notice. The city asks owners to contact preservation staff right away (919-560-4137) to discuss options.

Planning examples

• Rear deck: minor COA, then a building permit. Allow a couple of weeks for the COA. See our porches and decks guide.
• Addition: major COA. Count back at least two months from the hearing you want, plus design time. See Durham additions.
• Window replacement: listed among COA items. Repair is often easier to approve.

More on the neighborhoods: Watts-Hillandale and Durham.