Certificate of Appropriateness

The Building Inspector or Community Planning & Development Director, as designees of the Commission, may issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the following types of work to historic structures without Commission approval.  When reviewing the projects listed below, the designees shall use the Standards for Rehabilitation & Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings as a guide to determine appropriate methods and materials to complete the work.  Any time there is a question regarding interpretation of this policy, or interpretation of the standards and guidelines, the proposed work shall be submitted to the Commission for approval.

Exterior Masonry:

1. Cleaning of masonry according to approved methods.
2. Repointing mortar joints using mortar that is similar to the original in strength, composition, color, texture and hardness.  The width and profile of the mortar joints are maintained.
3. Limited replacement of bricks or other masonry features if the same kind of material, or a compatible material, is used.
4. Repainting of historically painted surfaces.
5. Brick shall not be painted or coated with other materials such as stucco when such masonry has historically been unpainted or uncoated.
6. Replacement of veneer concrete foundation coating with veneer stone.
7. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to masonry.
8. Concrete shall not be used as a substitute for mortar in rock foundations.

Building Exterior-Wood:

1. Retain and preserve wood features that are important to the historic character of the building.
2. Materials used in exterior repairs shall duplicate original wood in texture and appearance.
3. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to wood.

Building Exterior-Metal:

1. Retain and preserve metal features that are important to the historic character of the building.
2. Cleaning of metal surfaces according to approved methods.
3. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to metal.

Building Exterior-Roofs:

1. Re-roofing that maintains or restores the historic character of the building’s roof.
2. Re-roofing that does not change roof shape, or remove or cover any decorative features of the roof or cover any portions of the building facade.
3. Chimneys not visible from the street or other public use area may be removed.  Metal chimneys are prohibited.
4. Use the appropriate roofing material, such as slate, wood, clay tile or metal, according to the original historic character of the building.
5. Re-roofing may be done with asphalt, fiberglass or other rectangular composition shingles similar in appearance to 3-in-l-tab asphalt shingles when such materials do not affect the historic character of the building.
6. Re-roofing that does not involve the addition of features such as air conditioning, skylights, decks, terraces, dormers, solar collectors or other items readily visible.
7. Rubberized membranes, rolled roofing, tar-and-gravel, and other similar roofing materials may be used on flat or slightly sloped roofs.

Building Exterior-Windows:

1. Use methods acceptable for rehabilitation of existing historic windows.
2. Repairs to existing historic window frames, sashes and surrounding trim, such as caulking, weatherstripping, patching and splicing, reglazing, and replacement of broken glass.
3. Replacement windows that fill the masonry or rough-framed opening and the features of the new window match those originally installed in the building. Replacement windows of aluminum-clad wood or vinyl-clad wood are allowed.  Vinyl windows shall be approved by the Commission.
4. If the window is being proposed as a replacement for a non-original window, then the appropriate style for the window shall be based on the style on other original windows on the building, or on historic photos of the building, if available.  When neither of these options are available for comparison, the replacement window should be based on the style of original windows used in other similar buildings in Platteville.
5. The addition of storm windows where none existed originally is allowed as part of a replacement window unit.  Storm windows must be painted or stained. Raw aluminum shall be approved by the Commission.

Building Exterior-Entrances and Porches:

1. Rehabilitation of entrances and porches using acceptable methods that maintain or restore original features.
2. Storm door designs of wood and glass to match the original design on the building are encouraged.  Storm doors of simple design with no stylistic reference may also be used.  Storm doors with metal grills may be approved if they blend with the style of the building.
3. Storm doors must be painted or stained.  Raw aluminum shall be approved by the Commission. 

Building Site:

1. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to rock foundation walls.  Examples are the maintenance or addition of gutters and downspouts, installation of drain tile along the building foundation and providing adequate site drainage.
2. Rehabilitation of features that are not missing such as walks, paths, roads, driveways and parking areas.

Re-siding:

Re-siding that replaces or covers clapboards or non-original siding on historic buildings originally sided with clapboards is allowed provided that the new siding imitates the width of the original clapboard siding to within one (1) inch and that all architectural details including, but not limited to, window trim, wood cornices, and ornament either remain uncovered or are duplicated exactly in appearance.  If more than one layer of siding exists on the building, all layers except the first must be removed before the new siding is applied.  If insulation is applied under the new siding, all trim must be built up so that it projects from the new siding to the same extent it did with the original siding.

Painting:

Painting a building or a building component does not require approval or the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness, unless the request is to paint a building or portion of a building that has never previously been painted.  For example, a request to paint a brick building that has never previously been painted requires approval of the Commission and the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness.

General Repair and Replacement:

Repairs to, or limited replacement of, building materials and building components if the work uses the same materials, or compatible substitute materials, and provided that the work does not substantially change the exterior appearance of the structure or site.