Updated October 2026
You've found the house. Brick, shutters, a door that's probably older than anyone you know. And somewhere between the second showing and the inspection, someone says the words "the BAR," and suddenly a simple question gets complicated.
Can I actually change anything here?
Usually, yes. You just need to know who signs off, and when.
In the Old and Historic Alexandria District, the City of Alexandria's historic preservation page says a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) or from Preservation staff is required for all new construction and exterior alterations visible from a public right of way. Demolition or capsulation of more than 25 square feet of material needs a Permit to Demolish, regardless of visibility. Interior work doesn't need BAR approval at all.
That's the basic starting point. The rest is how it plays out on a real house.
What the Board of Architectural Review is
The BAR is a seven-member board appointed by City Council, and per the city, two of those members must be architects. Each member serves a 3-year term. One board oversees both of Alexandria's local historic districts plus individually designated One Hundred Year Old Buildings.
Those are three different things, and it helps to keep them straight:
- The Old and Historic Alexandria District (OHAD). The city calls it the third oldest historic district in the United States, established in 1946.
- The Parker-Gray District. A separate local district, which the city describes as a 40-block area. Same board, its own set of guidelines.
- One Hundred Year Old Buildings. Buildings outside both districts that City Council has designated by ordinance.
When a case goes to a public hearing, the board can approve it as submitted, approve it with changes, deny it, or defer it for restudy if the applicant asks.
Is the house in the district? Check the parcel, not the listing
This is the first thing we'd want any buyer to settle.
An "Old Town" description in a listing doesn't settle it. Neither does the age of the house, or an Alexandria mailing address. According to the city, Alexandria has seven National Register Historic Districts, but only two are local districts regulated through the BAR: Old and Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray. The city also notes that the local district boundaries differ from the National Register boundaries. A house can sit inside a National Register district and outside BAR jurisdiction, or the other way around.
In general terms, the city describes OHAD as running from the southern edge of the city at Hunting Creek north to Bashford Lane, and from the Potomac River on the east to near the King Street Metro on the west. It also includes the stretch of the George Washington Memorial Parkway inside city limits, with a buffer on either side.
"Near the King Street Metro" isn't a property line, though. For a specific address, the city points to the Historic Preservation Map viewer, linked from its historic preservation page, and says Preservation staff can help confirm whether a location is inside a local district. You can reach them at [email protected].
If you're still weighing neighborhoods, our guide to choosing between Old Town, Del Ray and Rosemont is a good place to start. Wherever you land, check the parcel itself. And for the rest of the pre-offer homework on an older house, see our notes on due diligence for a historic Old Town home.
What needs approval, and what doesn't
Three questions do most of the sorting.
Is it on the outside? Interior work doesn't need BAR approval. Kitchens, baths, floors and finishes are between you, your contractor and the city's other permit rules.
Can it be seen from a public right of way? New construction and exterior alterations that are visible need a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Are you taking anything away? This one catches people. Per the city, the board must approve a Permit to Demolish for any demolition of more than 25 square feet of material on a structure, regardless of whether it's visible from a public way. A rear wall coming down for an addition can need a permit even if no one on the sidewalk will ever see it.
Some projects fall in between, and the city's adopted OHAD design guideline chapters spell out which review level applies. Take doors. Under the OHAD chapter on doors and garage doors:
- No BAR review: Adding hardware or a video doorbell, installing a single-lite, clear-glass storm door, or replacing a door that can't be seen from the public right of way.
- Staff review: Replacing a non-historic door or a garage door, or replicating a failing historic door in kind.
- Board review: Replacing a door staff consider historically or architecturally significant, adding a new visible door, or removing and infilling an existing door visible from the public right of way.
The chapter itself says these levels apply in most cases and that staff may decide a project needs board review anyway.
Adopted OHAD chapters cover windows and shutters, roofing, masonry, siding and trim, fences, gates and walls, dormers, solar energy systems and more. You'll find them under "Design Guidelines and Policies" on the city's preservation page. Staff are also working on updated guideline chapters for both districts, so check the posted version before you plan around one.
Staff approval or a full hearing
There are two routes, and the difference in time is real.
Administrative approval by staff
The city says many projects can be approved administratively by Preservation staff. If all required documents are submitted, that process normally takes less than 5 business days, though the city notes that some applications also go to Zoning, which can affect the timeline. Treat that as the city's typical range, not a promise.
A public hearing before the board
The BAR holds public hearings on the first and third Wednesday evenings of every month, except August. The city's application instructions say a hearing application must be in and complete a minimum of 30 days before the hearing date.
The city's 2026 hearing schedule turns that into dates. For the November 18, 2026 hearing, the deadline for a complete application is October 13. For the December 16 hearing, the deadline is November 9, with November 2 as the recommended date to submit for completeness review. Building in that earlier date gives staff room to flag anything missing before the real deadline.
For new buildings and additions, the application asks applicants to meet with staff at least 30 days before any formal submission. In our experience, that early conversation can help avoid delays.
How you apply
Applications go through the city's online APEX permitting system, and the city asks you to upload the matching BAR application form there as well. If you need both a Certificate of Appropriateness and a Permit to Demolish, they use the same form, but you submit two separate applications in APEX. Filing fees are posted with the hearing schedule on the city's preservation page, and you don't need a professional designer, though drawings must accurately show the project.
If your home is governed by a homeowners or condominium association, the city's application requires the association's approval letter with the application, or the case is deferred. That approval runs on its own clock. Our overview of Alexandria condo fees and resale packets covers what to look for in an association's documents, and if you're buying in one of the district's condo buildings, see how Old Town condo buildings compare.
For hearing cases, you're also responsible for sending written notice to adjacent property owners. The application form lays out the method and the window, and the city treats notice errors seriously enough to defer a case over them.
What the board looks for
The city puts it simply. The board is generally looking for projects that are sensitive to the historic character of the building and its surroundings, use traditional building materials, and follow the Design Guidelines and other approved policies.
Our read: the projects that go smoothly start from the guideline chapter, not from a product catalog. Pick the chapter that matches your project, read what it recommends for a house of your era, and design to it.
Hearing night, and what comes after
The docket and staff reports are posted on the city's Dockets and Webcasts page, typically by late afternoon on the Friday before the hearing. Read your staff report. The city recommends it, and the report explains staff's recommendations.
At the hearing, staff announce your case, and the chair asks your name and address and whether you'd like to present or answer questions. A formal presentation isn't required. You or an authorized representative should attend. The board can approve or deny if neither attends, but a deferral cannot be requested in that situation. If you send a representative, the city advises choosing someone who knows the case and is authorized to make decisions for you.
Neighbors can weigh in too. After the applicant's presentation, the chair opens the floor to the public, and written comments can go to Preservation staff ahead of time.
Then the board decides:
- Approved, as submitted or with changes.
- Deferred for restudy, if you ask, so you can revise and come back.
- Denied. The city calls denials rare, and the same case can't come back to the board for one year.
Either side can appeal. Per the city, appeals go to City Council and must be filed within 14 days of the BAR decision, with a filing fee, at the City Clerk's office. The applicant can appeal, and so can 25 property owners within the historic district.
The rules themselves are under review. The city held a public meeting on a proposed historic preservation zoning text amendment on September 10, 2026, and the proposal affects both local districts and the One Hundred Year Old Building list. Until anything is adopted, follow the rules in your approval and the current application.
A BAR approval is one permission, not all of them
A Certificate of Appropriateness answers one question: is this change appropriate for the historic district? It doesn't answer whether the work also needs a building permit or meets zoning. The city's application says the board's policy is not to review applications that don't meet other city regulations, and an association's consent is its own step.
Our advice is to line up the permissions before you line up the crew. Confirm the building permit question with the city before work starts, keep every approval letter with the house's records, and if you're buying, ask the sellers for copies of the approvals behind any exterior changes they made.
Before you buy or call a contractor
- Confirm the parcel on the city's Historic Preservation Map viewer, or ask Preservation staff.
- Find the guideline chapter that matches your project and note its review level.
- Ask staff early, and for an addition, meet with them at least 30 days before you submit.
- Get association approval in hand before you file.
- Work backward from the hearing calendar, using the recommended completeness date, not just the deadline.
- Read your staff report before hearing night.
- Treat BAR approval and a building permit as two separate sign-offs.
For the market side of the story, we wrote about how board review shows up when Old Town homes sell.
This is general information and is not legal or tax advice.
Talk it through with us
Elizabeth Lucchesi and The LizLuke Team work with buyers and sellers in Old Town's historic blocks and across Alexandria, and Elizabeth has spent more than twenty years in residential real estate. If you're looking at a house inside the district and want a second set of eyes on what's been approved and what you'd like to change, we're glad to talk it through.
The LizLuke Team at LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE INC. 110 N Royal St, Ste 300,
Alexandria, VA 22314. Office 703.683.0400. The LizLuke Team (703) 868-5676. Virginia License #0225069250.
Equal Housing Opportunity.
All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Sources
- City of Alexandria, Department of Planning and Zoning, Historic Preservation (Board of Architectural Review, FAQs, Design Guidelines and Policies), accessed October 7, 2026: https://alexandriava.gov/Preservation
- City of Alexandria, Old & Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray Districts, and One Hundred Year Old Buildings, accessed October 7, 2026: https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic-preservation/basic-page/old-historic-alexandria-and-parker-gray-districts-and-one-hundred
- City of Alexandria, Board of Architectural Review Calendar Year 2026 Hearing Schedule and Filing Deadlines: https://alexandriava.gov/sites/default/files/2025-11/2026_bar_hearing_schedule_updated_11.7.25.pdf
- City of Alexandria, Application, Board of Architectural Review (instructions, notice requirements and forms), posted July 2026: https://alexandriava.gov/sites/default/files/2026-07/Hearing%20app_FINAL.pdf
- City of Alexandria calendar, Historic Preservation Zoning Text Amendment Public Meeting, September 10, 2026: https://apps.alexandriava.gov/Calendar/Detail.aspx?si=63432
