· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Remodeling
A remodel on a house in one of Nashville’s historic overlays has two reviews to clear, not one. Metro Codes issues the building permit as it would anywhere in the county, and the Metro Historic Zoning Commission decides whether the work also needs a Preservation Permit. Which work it reviews depends on the kind of overlay the house sits in, and the kinds of overlay differ widely. A new kitchen inside a house in one overlay may need nothing from the commission, while new siding on the same house in another one does. Before we price a whole-home remodel on an older house in Nashville, this is the first thing we look up.
Do I need a preservation permit to remodel a historic home in Nashville?
A historic home in Nashville needs a Preservation Permit when its overlay type covers the kind of work you are planning, and the overlay decides that before the size of the job does. The Metro Historic Zoning Handbook describes the overlay types and sets out in a table which work each one reviews. A fifth, the historic bed-and-breakfast overlay, follows the conservation rules.
- Neighborhood Conservation is the lightest. It reviews new buildings, additions, demolition and moving a structure, and leaves other exterior changes alone.
- Historic Preservation reviews those same four, plus exterior repairs and alterations, the building of appurtenances, and signs.
- Historic Landmark, the most restrictive, applies to an individual property or campus of special significance and reviews the same list as Historic Preservation.
- Historic Landmark Interior is the only type that reviews interior repairs and alterations, and beyond the interior it reviews only demolition.
How do you find out which historic overlay your house is in?
Metro’s Historic Zoning Lookup map answers it by address, and the commission’s Preservation Permit application page links the map along with the design guidelines that apply to each district. The same page asks owners to call the commission at 615-880-4900 to confirm whether a given project needs its review, and that call is worth making even when the map seems clear.
The overlay type matters more than the neighborhood name. Two streets a few blocks apart can sit under different overlays, so replacing windows or porch columns may need a permit on one and nothing from the commission on the other. A Neighborhood Conservation overlay does not review a window swap at all, while a Historic Preservation overlay counts it as an exterior alteration. We check the address itself before we draw anything.
What the commission leaves alone
Metro historic zoning stays out of a good share of ordinary remodeling. The handbook lists what is not reviewed: work that cannot be seen from the public right-of-way, though alleys do not count as hidden and staff may want to confirm it; temporary structures and trailers; small portable sheds without a permanent foundation; and painting, with one exception.
The exception is masonry. The handbook says the commission takes no interest in paint color, but it does review painting brick or stone, and it looks at the built-in color of materials such as roofing, brick and stone. Painting wood siding a new color needs nothing from the commission; painting a brick house does.
Interior work falls outside the commission’s review unless the property is under a Landmark Interior overlay. A gutted kitchen or bath still needs the usual building, electrical and plumbing permits from Codes, and moving a bearing wall still needs the structural work drawn and permitted. The historic review simply does not reach inside.
How long does a preservation permit take in Nashville?
A preservation permit for work the commission has pre-approved, and that meets the district’s design guidelines, is usually issued within about four days of a complete application, according to the Preservation Permit application page. Infill houses, large additions, demolition of a historic main building and setback questions are likely to go before the full commission instead, and the 2021 handbook says it meets on the third Wednesday of each month.
The handbook also says there is no fee for a Preservation Permit, that the contractor has to meet with commission staff to go over the permit before it is issued, and that work has to start within six months or the permit lapses. The application page adds that a pre-application review is optional but encouraged for infill and for additions with a footprint over 1,500 square feet. Codes can take the building permit application at the same time, so the two run side by side.
Additions are where the reviews matter most, because they are the one job every overlay type looks at. If you are weighing an addition against reworking the rooms you have, or planning a second-story addition, the overlay can shape the design from the first sketch. The guidelines Metro applies grow out of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which the National Park Service calls the standards local historic commissions use most, and whose first concern is keeping a building’s historic character and materials. To start with your address and what you want to change, ask us for an estimate.
Sources
- Metro Historic Zoning Commission, Metro Historic Zoning Handbook (2021 revised) — The four overlay types and the table of work each reviews; what is not reviewed; paint color not reviewed but masonry painting is; third-Wednesday meetings; no fee; contractor meets staff; work must begin within six months
- Metro Planning, Apply for a Historic Preservation Permit — Call 615-880-4900 to confirm review; pre-approved projects generally permitted within four days of a complete application; infill and large additions go to the commission; Historic Zoning Lookup; building permit applied for concurrently
- National Park Service, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation — The standards most often used by local historic district commissions; retaining historic character and materials
FAQ
Historic Home Remodel in Nashville: The Overlay Permit — questions
Can you renovate the inside of a historic home in Nashville?
Yes. Metro’s historic zoning commission reviews interior work only on properties under a Historic Landmark Interior overlay. In every other overlay type, a kitchen, bath or floor plan change needs no Preservation Permit, though Metro Codes still issues the building, electrical and plumbing permits the work would need anywhere in the county.
What does a preservation permit cost in Nashville?
The 2021 Metro Historic Zoning Handbook says there is no fee for a Preservation Permit. The building permit from Metro Codes is separate and still applies to most projects. Both can be applied for at the same time, and the commission asks the contractor to meet its staff before the preservation permit is issued.
Does Metro historic zoning review paint colors?
No. The Metro Historic Zoning Handbook says the commission does not review paint color. It does review painting masonry, such as brick or stone, and the built-in color of materials like roofing, brick and stone. Repainting wood siding a new color needs nothing from the commission in any overlay type.
How do I know if my house is in a historic overlay?
Search the address on Metro’s Historic Zoning Lookup map, which the commission links from its Preservation Permit application page along with each district’s design guidelines. The page also asks owners to call the commission at 615-880-4900 to confirm whether a specific project needs review, which settles it before any design work begins.
What is a neighborhood conservation overlay in Nashville?
It is the least restrictive of Metro’s historic overlay types. In a Neighborhood Conservation overlay, the commission reviews new construction, additions, demolition and moving a building, and leaves other exterior changes such as window replacement alone. Historic Preservation and Landmark overlays review exterior repairs and alterations as well.