Wake County Landmarks | Capital Area Preservation |

A local historic landmark is an individual building, structure, site, or object, that has historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance and integrity and has been recognized by official designation for its importance. There are eighty-four (84) historic landmarks within the jurisdiction of the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission (WCHPC.) The first step towards becoming a local landmark is for an applicant to complete a landmark application. If you are getting ready to do work on the exterior of your landmark property or its grounds, you will need to apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness, or “COA.” A COA is a type of permit that certifies that changes to a historic landmark or property in a local historic district are appropriate to the historic character of the property or district. Once a property is designated as a historic landmark or included in a local historic district, the exterior cannot be changed without a COA issued by the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission (WCHPC) for major works or by Capital Area Preservation (CAP) staff for minor works. COA applications are due twenty (20) days before the monthly meeting of the WCHPC. The WCHPC meets on the second Tuesday of each month.