Re-roofing in a Richmond historic district: when you need CAR approval (and when you don’t)

We are an information site, not a roofing contractor.

Begin with the address, not the neighborhood nickname

The City of Richmond CAR flyer lists 14 Old and Historic Districts: St. John's Church, West Franklin, Shockoe Slip, Shockoe Valley, Jackson Ward, Chimborazo Park, Hermitage Road, Monument Avenue, Boulevard, West Broad, West Grace Street, Springhill, Church Hill North and Union Hill. A district name alone does not settle it, so ask the city to confirm the status of your specific address. City of Richmond Commission of Architectural Review

Start your project notes with the street address. Ask the city to confirm the parcel’s district status rather than asking whether an entire neighborhood “needs approval.” Save that answer alongside your proposed roof description. If a contractor gives you a general answer about work elsewhere, bring the discussion back to your address and the work you actually want done.

When CAR approval belongs in the conversation

Richmond’s Commission of Architectural Review, or CAR, reviews exterior alterations within the city’s Old and Historic Districts under its historic district design guidelines. The knowledge-base entry identifies changes to roofing material or color as matters for a Certificate of Appropriateness. For your proposed change, confirm with the City of Richmond. City of Richmond Commission of Architectural Review

Describe the existing roof and the proposed replacement separately. Write down the material and color you have now, then the material and color you want. Include the porch roof if that is part of the job. Photographs and product information are useful things to prepare for your question; ask city staff what they need for an actual application.

Avoid reducing the question to “Can I replace my roof?” That leaves out the detail that prompted the design-review question in the first place. A clearer request is: “Here is my address, here is the existing roof, and here is the proposed change. What approval applies?”

When you should not assume an exemption

This knowledge base does not establish a blanket CAR exemption for a replacement described as identical, a small repair, or a roof that is difficult to see. Do not turn any of those descriptions into permission to start. If you believe your project needs no CAR approval, ask staff to confirm that conclusion for the address and scope you supplied.

Likewise, do not use this article to decide that a property outside a locally designated historic district needs no other permission. The practical answer to “when don’t I need CAR approval?” starts with confirming whether that review applies to the property. Ask the city to identify the relevant process rather than treating the absence of one approval as the absence of all requirements.

A building permit is a separate question

Virginia's building code (USBC 108.2) exempts replacing the roof covering on a single-family house, townhouse or similar home from a permit, with no size limit, as long as the local design wind speed is no more than 100 mph. For other buildings the exemption covers work up to 100 square feet. The exceptions matter here: in a locally designated historic district, or in a special flood hazard area, the building official may require a permit anyway. Virginia regulations Confirm with the City of Richmond for your address; Permits and Inspections takes calls at 804-646-4169, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. City of Richmond Permits and Inspections

Make two separate notes: the answer about CAR design review and the answer about the building permit. Ask what information the city needs to determine each. If someone says “no permit,” ask which permission they mean. Keep the answer tied to the described project, especially if you later change the material or add porch work to the quote.

Porch roofs have their own review guidance

CAR adopted administrative guidance for porch roof replacement that allows qualifying work to be approved by staff without going before the commission. The guidance is explicit about what staff will not approve: replacing historic roofing that could be repaired, using asphalt shingles or prefabricated standing-seam metal on a porch roof, changing the shape of the porch roof, and white membrane roofing. The starting point is to repair with the same material; a similar-looking new material is approved only when the original is failed or unavailable. Eligibility is specific to the proposal; confirm with the City of Richmond. City of Richmond Commission of Architectural Review

If your project is a porch roof, ask explicitly whether the replacement qualifies for administrative review. Do not interpret “staff approval” as “no approval.” Prepare the existing and proposed materials for that conversation, and ask staff which review route applies before selecting a product on the assumption that it will qualify.

The distinction between replacement and a new porch cover also matters to the question you ask. The cited guidance concerns porch roof replacement. If you are proposing a new cover, describe it as new construction and ask which process applies; do not assume that replacement guidance answers that different question.

Check the contractor separately from the roof design

Virginia DPOR says most contracting work or bids exceeding $1,000 require a state contractor license; a local business license is not a substitute, and roofing work is covered by the ROC specialty and also by the RBC and CBC classes and the HIC and CIC specialties. Use DPOR to check credentials rather than treating a business name as verification. Virginia DPOR

Ask the contractor to put the proposed materials and work into writing so you can compare the quote with the scope you discussed with city staff. Keep licensing verification and city review as separate project tasks. A conversation about a contractor’s credentials does not answer your question about the specific roof proposal.

Questions? Call (804) 764-9710 — we are a local roofing information service, not a contractor.