Historic designation in DC protects the look of the street, not the price of the house: the five top Zillow house areas outside historic districts gained about 45% in ten years, against about 17% for the areas inside them. Buy a historic DC row house for the house and the block, with Capitol Hill for intact Victorian rows and Sheridan-Kalorama for town houses, and budget for exterior review, which HPO staff clear without a hearing more than 95% of the time.
You're weighing a row house or older home in one of DC's historic districts and need to know what designation will cost and allow.
At a glance
| Historic districts in DC | 70 (37 neighborhood districts) |
|---|---|
| Reviews cleared by HPO staff | More than 95% |
| Homeowner grant | Up to $50,000, income-tested |
| Federal 20% credit | Income-producing buildings only |
| L'Enfant Trust easements | More than 1,150 properties |
Does historic designation raise home values in DC?
Not on the evidence of the last ten years. Designation protects the street, not the price. The five house areas in Zillow's top seven that aren't historic districts, Spring Valley, Foxhall, Chevy Chase, Burleith and American University Park, gained about 45% on average over ten years to August 2026. The nine Zillow areas that overlap DC historic districts gained about 17%.
| Zillow area | In a historic district? | 10-year change to Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Valley | No | +54.66% |
| Foxhall | Only Foxhall Village | +47.94% |
| Chevy Chase | No | +41.87% |
| Burleith | No | +40.24% |
| American University Park | No | +39.33% |
| Georgetown | Yes | +35.58% |
| Cleveland Park | Yes | +27.98% |
| Capitol Hill | Yes | +21.03% |
| Kalorama | Yes | +20.61% |
| Woodley Park | Yes | +19.43% |
| Shaw | Yes | +12.33% |
| Logan Circle | Yes | +6.88% |
| Dupont Circle | Yes | +4.68% |
| Foggy Bottom | Yes | +3.89% |
Read that gap carefully. Georgetown, fully designated, gained 35.58%, so a historic house area can still lead. The drag comes from districts where condos make up much of the stock, such as Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom, and Zillow's boundaries don't match district lines. The useful conclusion for a buyer: buy a historic DC row house for the house and the block, and budget for design review rather than counting on a premium. How the top neighborhoods compare overall is on our guide to DC luxury neighborhoods.
What does living in a DC historic district mean for an owner?
DC's preservation law covers the outside of the house. You keep the normal building permit process, with a preservation review added for work that changes what the street sees.
What counts as an alteration
DC Code § 6-1102 defines an alteration as a change in the exterior appearance of a building or its site. Interiors are covered only where the interior itself is designated. Removing or destroying any facade counts as demolition.
Who reviews the work
The DC Historic Preservation Office says more than 95% of permit applications needing preservation review are cleared by its staff through expedited review, with no board hearing. Bigger projects, such as an addition, can go to the Historic Preservation Review Board for concept review, where the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and the public can comment.
Georgetown has its own review board
In the Georgetown Historic District, building projects are reviewed by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. That process, and what the Old Georgetown Board approves, is on our Georgetown historic district guide.
Do I need a permit to replace windows in a DC historic district?
Replacement windows change exterior appearance, so expect preservation review as part of the permit. HPO doesn't publish its list of work exempt from review on the pages we use, so call HPO at 202-442-7600 before you order windows, and ask whether repairing the existing windows needs review at all.
How many historic districts are in Washington DC?
DC has 70 historic districts. HPO groups them into neighborhood districts, government and institutional districts such as military bases and campuses, and parks, parkways and cemeteries. The 37 neighborhood districts it lists are Anacostia, Blagden Alley Naylor Court, Bloomingdale, Capitol Hill, Cleveland Park, Colony Hill, Downtown, Dupont Circle, Emerald Street, Financial, Foggy Bottom, Fourteenth Street, Foxhall Village, Georgetown, George Washington University/Old West End, Grant Circle, Grant Road, Kalorama Triangle, Kingman Park, Lafayette Square, LeDroit Park, Logan Circle, Massachusetts Avenue, Meridian Hill, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon Square, Mount Vernon Triangle, Pennsylvania Avenue, Shaw, Sheridan Kalorama, Sixteenth Street, Strivers' Section, Takoma Park, U Street, Union Market, Washington Heights and Woodley Park.
Just as useful is what's missing. Spring Valley, Burleith, Wesley Heights, Chevy Chase DC, AU Park, Forest Hills, the Palisades and Massachusetts Avenue Heights aren't on the list, and in Foxhall only Foxhall Village is.
How do I tell if my DC property is in a historic district?
Check the address on HPO's district maps at planning.dc.gov or on the city's PropertyQuest map, which shows historic status by lot. Then ask a second question: is the house a contributing building in that district? A house built well after the district's period of significance may be inside the boundary but not contributing, which matters for grants.
DC row house districts by trade-off
Each district gives you a different kind of house and a different catch. Pick by the house you want to live in.
Capitol Hill
The pick for intact 19th-century row-house streets. HPO describes cohesive collections of intact row houses, mostly ornate brick Queen Anne, and the 1871 Projection Act is why so many have bays, towers and porches stepping into public space. The catch: Zillow's Capitol Hill is still 7.0% below its 2022 peak.
Sheridan-Kalorama and Kalorama Triangle
The pick for a town house or mansion. Sheridan-Kalorama, designated in 1989, starts with 1890s speculative row houses near Connecticut Avenue, moves to town houses after 1900 and ends in mansions on Massachusetts Avenue; HPO notes the row house fell out of favor there as the area matured. Kalorama Triangle followed in 1987. The catch is growth: Zillow's Kalorama area gained only 0.63% in five years.
Logan Circle and Dupont Circle
Row houses from the last quarter of the 1800s, in districts designated in 1972 and 1976. Their Zillow figures, +6.88% and +4.68% over ten years, are pulled down by condos, so judge a whole house here by whole-house sales.
Cleveland Park and Woodley Park
The pick if you want a detached house under review. Cleveland Park's early houses are frame houses with large porches, a suburban answer to the brick row, and a 1903 count found 60 designed by architects. The catch: apartment buildings on Connecticut Avenue pull Zillow's Cleveland Park figure down, and it fell 1.13% in the year.
Georgetown
The strongest designated performer in the table, at 35.58% over ten years. Its house types, from Federal to Victorian, are compared on our Georgetown row houses guide.
Are there grants for historic homes in DC?
Historic Homeowner Grant
HPO grants up to $50,000 per household for exterior repair and restoration, such as walls, windows, doors, roofs, cornices, porches and front steps, and for major structural repair. You must live in the house, receive the DC Homestead Deduction and fall within HUD's low- or moderate-income limits, and the house must contribute to its district. Condos and co-ops aren't eligible, and interiors, HVAC, additions and work already started are excluded. The grant carries a 10-year covenant that passes to a buyer. If your household income is above HUD's limits the grant won't apply, but a covenant left by an earlier owner's grant will, so ask whether the house received one.
The 20% federal rehabilitation credit
This credit applies only to income-producing historic buildings, such as rentals or a business, and excludes primary residences. Spending must exceed the greater of $5,000 or the building's adjusted basis, with review by the DC State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. A house you live in won't qualify; a rental row house might. Confirm with a DC CPA.
Conservation easements
The L'Enfant Trust holds easements on more than 1,150 historic DC properties. An easement is a voluntary legal agreement with a preservation organization that protects the house against demolition, neglect and insensitive alteration in perpetuity, and the Trust reviews proposed exterior changes, in addition to HPO. Ask whether the house carries one and read the deed of easement before you sign a contract.
Before you make an offer on a historic DC row house
- Look up the lot: historic district or not, and contributing or not.
- Ask whether the house carries a L'Enfant Trust easement or a homeowner-grant covenant.
- List the exterior work you want. Windows, a roof deck or a rear addition each decide if the work stays in staff review or goes to the HPRB.
- Inspect what old row houses share: party walls, foundations, the roof and the windows.
- Price the house from whole-house sales on the block, not Zillow's area figure.
If you own one and are weighing a sale, what the review history and any easement mean for buyers is covered on our guide to selling a Georgetown home. I can check the district status and permit record for any address before you offer.
Common questions
Why are they called row homes?
Row houses are built in a continuous row, each sharing its side walls, called party walls, with its neighbors. In Washington the form goes back to the city's start: a 1791 proclamation by George Washington allowed a builder to place half a party wall on the adjacent lot, according to DC's Historic Preservation Office.
How do I tell if my DC property is in a historic district?
Look up the address on the DC Historic Preservation Office's district maps on planning.dc.gov or on the city's PropertyQuest map. Then check whether the house is a contributing building in that district, since a much newer house inside the boundary may not be. HPO staff can confirm at 202-442-7600.
Do I need a permit to replace windows in a DC historic district?
Expect so. DC law defines an alteration as any change to a building's exterior appearance, and replacement windows usually change it, so the permit goes through preservation review. HPO staff clear more than 95% of such applications without a board hearing. Its list of exempt work isn't on the pages we use, so call HPO at 202-442-7600 first.
What is the law for historic districts in DC?
The Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection law, in DC Code Title 6, Chapter 11, requires preservation review before you alter or demolish a building in a historic district. An alteration is any change to the exterior appearance of a building or its site; removing any facade counts as demolition. Interiors are covered only where the interior itself is designated.
How many historic districts are in Washington DC?
DC has 70 historic districts, according to the DC Historic Preservation Office. They fall into three groups: neighborhood districts, government and institutional districts such as military bases and campuses, and parks, parkways and cemeteries. HPO lists 37 neighborhood districts, from Anacostia and Capitol Hill to Georgetown, Sheridan Kalorama and Woodley Park.
Are there grants for historic homes in DC?
Yes, the Historic Homeowner Grant pays up to $50,000 per household for exterior and structural repair. It is limited to owner-occupants who receive the Homestead Deduction and meet HUD low- or moderate-income limits, excludes condos and co-ops, and requires a 10-year covenant that passes to a buyer. The 20% federal rehabilitation credit excludes primary residences.
Sources
- DC Code § 6-1102: Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection, definitions
- DC Office of Planning (HPO): Permits & Design Review
- DC Office of Planning (HPO): DC Historic Districts
- DC Office of Planning (HPO): Historic Homeowner Grant Program FAQ (Rev. 05/24)
- DC Office of Planning (HPO): Rehabilitation Tax Credits
- The L'Enfant Trust: What is a conservation easement?
- DC HPO: Capitol Hill Historic District brochure
- DC HPO: Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District brochure
- DC HPO: Kalorama Triangle Historic District
- DC HPO: Cleveland Park Historic District brochure
- DC HPO: Logan Circle Historic District
- DC HPO: Dupont Circle Historic District
- Zillow Home Value Index (August 2026)
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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