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City Clerk's Office
The Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) administers Milwaukee's historic preservation ordinance, adopted in 1981, which provides certain kinds of legal protection for buildings or sites that have been declared historic by the Common Council. The HPC is responsible for designating historic landmarks and historic districts and for approving Certificates of Appropriateness (COAs) for permission to alter historic buildings.
Any individual or group may nominate a building or place for designation as a Historic Structure, Historic Site, or Historic District. The Historic Preservation Commission reviews the applications and makes a recommendation to the Common Council that a structure or site should be declared "Historic." The Council then acts upon the Commission's recommendation.
After a designation has been approved by the Common Council, the structure, site or district is under the protection of Milwaukee's Historic Preservation Ordinance, and no changes may be made to the exterior unless the owner first obtains a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from the Historic Preservation Commission.
HPC ordinance (PDF - Section 320-21)
HPC by-laws and Mural Policy
Historic Tax Credits - If your property is National Register-listed or State Register-listed, you may be eligible for Historic Tax Credits. Please consult the State Historic Preservation Office website at www.wisconsinhistory.org/taxcredits.
Please note: If you intend to apply for historic preservation tax credits for a project that also requires the approval of the Historic Preservation Commission, you must apply to both the city and the state simultaneously. The state will not approve tax credits for work completed prior to their approval under any circumstances. City and State reviews follow similar guidelines, but there are substantial differences in documentation requirements, so the two reviews are not considered equivalent. An approval from the city’s Historic preservation Commission does not constitute an approval for historic tax credits. Likewise, an approval for historic tax credits does not constitute an approval for a certificate of appropriateness from the Milwaukee HPC. You must not begin work until you have received both approvals in writing and any required building permits. Inform all parties (Milwaukee HPC, Wisconsin Historical Society, contractors, etc.) that you are making both submittals.