Almost any exterior change in the Georgetown historic district that can be seen from a street or alley goes to the Old Georgetown Board, then the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The process runs on a fixed calendar: file three weeks before a first-Thursday meeting (there are none in January or August), and the Commission adopts the Board's advice at its next meeting, so a permit-only case takes about five weeks and one that needs a concept round about three months. Call the Board's staff before you design anything; a permit approval then lasts four years.
At a glance
| Law | Old Georgetown Act of 1950 (Public Law 81-808) |
|---|---|
| Reviewing bodies | Old Georgetown Board (advisory, three architects), U.S. Commission of Fine Arts |
| Meetings | First Thursday of each month, except January and August |
| Filing deadline | Three weeks before the Board meeting |
| Approval lifespan | Concept: 2 years (1-year extension possible). Permit: 4 years |
| National Historic Landmark | Designated 1967; period of significance 1765 to 1950 |
| Board staff | (202) 504-2200, cfastaff@cfa.gov |
How long does Old Georgetown Board review take?
Plan on about five weeks for a case that goes straight to permit review and about three months for one that needs a concept round first. The Board's reputation is slow and unpredictable, but its timetable is printed in advance: it usually meets on the first Thursday of each month except January and August, the Department of Buildings filing deadline is three weeks before each meeting, and the Commission of Fine Arts adopts the Board's recommendations at its next meeting. Review isn't complete until the Commission approves.
The calendar for late 2026 shows how tight the cycle is. File by October 15, the Board meets November 5, and the Commission meets November 19. The next round has a November 12 filing deadline for a December 10 meeting. Miss a deadline and you wait a month; miss the December round and the January gap pushes you into February.
Once you're through, the approvals last. A concept approval is good for two years, with a one-year extension you can request, and a permit approval lasts four years unless construction stalls. That's long enough to buy a house, design the work and build it on one approval.
What is the Old Georgetown Board?
The Old Georgetown Act of 1950 set the boundaries of the federal Old Georgetown historic district and requires the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts to review the design of projects inside it. The Commission delegates the first look to the Old Georgetown Board.
Who appoints the Board
The Commission of Fine Arts appoints the Board, an advisory committee of three architects. It doesn't approve anything by itself: its recommendations go to the Commission for adoption at a public meeting and then back to the District with the permit application.
What the Commission of Fine Arts decides
The Commission reviews construction that can be seen from a public street or alley, and it decides what counts as visible, with a site visit if the answer isn't clear. Trees and shrubs don't count when judging visibility, so a rear addition hidden by summer leaves is still visible in the Board's eyes.
What DC's Historic Preservation Office handles instead
Work that can't be seen from public space goes to the District: DC's Historic Preservation Review Board for major projects and Historic Preservation Office staff for minor ones. The Commission doesn't review subdivisions; the District does. The office can also clear roof replacements not visible from the ground and small rear changes not visible from an alley.
Do I need approval for this? Review by type of work
Sort your project by what it changes on the outside. Each type of work below is marked as review, staff-level or exempt under the Commission's published FAQs.
Windows and doors: review
Replacing windows or doors needs Board review even if the rest of the job is interior. The window policy, updated in September 2022, asks for wood, single-glazed, true divided light replacements on elevations facing or readily visible from public space, restoration of pre-1950 windows where possible, and never sandwich muntins. Post-1975 buildings get more latitude. How this plays out on Federal and Victorian houses is on the Georgetown row house types page.
Additions and new buildings: review, usually with a concept round
Rear additions should stay subordinate to the house and not project much past similar neighbors. Roof additions visible from the street and side additions that close off views into the block are discouraged. Contemporary design is allowed when it fits the area's historic character. Staff decide whether a project can skip concept review; for an addition, assume it can't.
Roofs, vents and rooftop equipment: review
Exterior mechanical equipment counts: vents, meters, rooftop condensers, visible wiring and exterior lighting all need review. A like-for-like roof replacement that can't be seen from the ground can be cleared by Historic Preservation Office staff.
Fences, paving and site work: mostly review
Site changes need review. A new or substantially replaced fence needs review, but partial in-kind repair of a compatible fence is exempt. The Board strongly discourages new curb cuts and opposes paving over yards.
Demolition: review
Full or partial demolition follows the same process as new construction. Plan it as part of the design, not as site prep.
Repairs and interior work: exempt
Minor repairs and masonry repointing, underground tanks and utilities, waterproofing, scaffolding and temporary barriers, public-space permits for dumpsters and parking, temporary business signs for up to 60 days, and changes of use with no exterior change are all exempt. If nothing changes on the outside, there's no Board review.
How to apply, step by step
The Commission publishes the process; these are the steps in order.
1. Call Board staff before you design
Staff at (202) 504-2200 or cfastaff@cfa.gov will confirm whether your project needs review at all and whether it can skip concept. A call costs nothing; a wrong guess about review can cost a month.
2. File with the Department of Buildings and send the referral
For permit review, file a DC Department of Buildings permit application first, plus a DDOT public space permit if any work touches public space. Then email the Board's referral form and drawings as one PDF to the Historic Preservation Office; there are no in-person submissions. The DOB filing deadline is three weeks before the meeting.
3. Consent calendar or presentation
Cases go either to the consent calendar, where you don't attend, or to the public meeting, where you or your architect present. A draft agenda posts the Monday before. Designs that follow the window and additions policies are the ones that land on consent.
4. Commission adoption
The Board's recommendations are compiled into the Old Georgetown Act appendix and approved by the Commission at its next meeting. Only then is review complete and the permit can move.
5. If you disagree
A concept recommendation can't be appealed. A permit decision can be appealed through the District.
Work back from your start date
Use this to set a realistic date for any exterior project. Write down the day you want work to start, then count backward.
- Find the Commission of Fine Arts meeting before your start date.
- Find the Old Georgetown Board meeting before that, usually about two weeks earlier.
- Your filing deadline is three weeks before that Board meeting.
- If staff say you need concept review, add one more monthly cycle in front, and skip January and August.
Applied to the 2026 calendar: a homeowner who files by October 15 goes to the Board on November 5 and the Commission on November 19, about five weeks. Add a concept round and the permit round can't come before the December 10 meeting, and with no January meeting a single missed deadline pushes it to February, so three months is the safe planning figure. If you're buying a house with plans for it, build this calendar into your timeline before you close; if you're selling, a buyer will ask what earlier owners had approved, which the guide to selling a Georgetown home covers.
History of Georgetown and the historic district
George Town was laid out under a 1751 Act on 60 acres owned by George Beall and George Gordon, in 80 lots, and named for King George II. The oldest remaining house, the Old Stone House on M Street, dates from 1765. Maryland incorporated the town in 1789, Congress fixed its boundaries in 1809, and the District revoked its charter in 1871. The old street names, among them Water, Bridge and Gay, became K, M and N, with High Street becoming Wisconsin Avenue; Wikipedia dates the renaming act to 1895.
Why Congress passed the 1950 Act
The Whitehurst Freeway, finished in 1947, demolished many buildings along the waterfront and canal; the story of that stretch is on the Georgetown waterfront page. In 1950 Congress passed the Old Georgetown Act, covering the construction, alteration or razing of any building inside boundaries close to those Congress set in 1809. DC's own historic protection law added a second layer in 1972.
Is Georgetown a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. The district was listed on the National Register and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967, and a 2003 amended nomination extended its period of significance to 1765 through 1950. More than 80 buildings were designated individually before the District stopped, because nearly every pre-1940 building already counts as contributing. For how this compares with other protected neighborhoods, see the historic homes across DC page, and for what's for sale inside the district, the luxury homes in Georgetown hub.
Common questions
What is the Old Georgetown Board?
The Old Georgetown Board is an advisory committee of three architects appointed by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts under the Old Georgetown Act of 1950. It reviews the design of exterior work in the Georgetown historic district that can be seen from a street or alley and sends its recommendations to the Commission, which adopts them at a public meeting.
Who appoints Old Georgetown Board members?
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts appoints the members of the Old Georgetown Board, which is made up of three architects. The Board is advisory: its recommendations take effect only after the Commission adopts them at its next public meeting and returns them to the District with the permit application.
Do I need approval to replace windows in Georgetown?
Yes. Window and door replacements need Old Georgetown Board review even when the rest of the project is interior. The Board's 2022 policy asks for wood, single-glazed, true divided light windows on elevations facing public space and restoration of windows installed before 1950 where possible. Buildings and additions built after 1975 can generally use quality fiberglass, aluminum-clad wood or metal windows.
When was Georgetown founded?
George Town was laid out under a 1751 Act on 60 acres divided into 80 lots and named for King George II. Maryland incorporated it in 1789, Congress fixed its boundaries in 1809, and it lost its separate town charter in 1871. The Old Stone House on M Street, from 1765, is the oldest remaining house.
Is Georgetown a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. The Georgetown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967. A 2003 amended nomination extended its period of significance to 1765 through 1950, and nearly every building from before 1940 counts as contributing to the district.
How long does an Old Georgetown Board approval last?
A concept approval lasts two years, and you can request a one-year extension. A permit approval lasts four years unless construction has not substantially begun by then. A concept approval does not authorize any work and cannot be appealed; permit decisions can be appealed through the District of Columbia.
Sources
- U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: Old Georgetown
- U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: Old Georgetown FAQs
- U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: How to Submit (Old Georgetown)
- U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: Upcoming Meetings
- U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: Window Policy and Guidelines
- U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: Policy on Additions and Site Alterations
- DC Office of Planning: CFA and HPRB Review in Georgetown
- DC Office of Planning: Minor Work in Georgetown
- DC Office of Planning: Georgetown Historic District (publication page)
- DC Historic Preservation Office: Georgetown Historic District brochure (PDF)
- Wikipedia: Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)
Reviewed by Daryl Judy
Daryl reviewed this page for accuracy on October 13, 2026. Figures come from the sources listed above. Our research process.
Daryl Judy is a luxury real estate agent in Georgetown, Washington, DC, and an Associate Broker with Washington Fine Properties: a Realtor since 2006, ranked #2 in the District by sales volume (RealTrends Verified, 2025), with more than $1.2 billion in career sales by his own count.
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