WORK APPLICATIONS
Initiating Application
Before any exterior work can be undertaken on any property which falls within the Vieux Carré district, the owner, owner's representative, lessee, architect or contractor must first apply to and receive a permit from the Commission. Applicants must have permission of the property owner(s) for all proposed work. Applications for permits fall into three categories: general work, paint, and signs, and are available from the Commission's staff at 334 Royal Street, 2nd floor, between the hours of 9:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.
Processing by Staff
Upon submission of the application, the Commission's staff reviews the work proposed. Faxed applications are not acceptable. If the staff determines that the application is for ordinary maintenance or for work which conforms with adopted Commission policies under which the staff has approval authority, a permit will be issued by the staff, usually with three (3) working days. If the staff determines, however, that the work does not conform to these policies or is of a nature for which the staff lacks approval authority, the application is placed before the Commission's Architectural Committee for review at its next meeting, provided that the application is received no later than one week prior to that meeting. This week is required for the preparation of staff reports.
Architectural Committee Actions
The Architectural Committee is a committee empowered by the Commission. It is composed of the three Commission members representing the American Institute of Architects and up to four non-Commission architects.
The Architectural Committee meets twice monthly at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. There is no meeting of the Architectural Committee scheduled at the end of December. See Calendar for specific meeting dates, upcoming agendas and previous meeting minutes.
At these meetings, the applicant and staff discuss the proposal, in public, with the Architectural Committee. The Architectural Committee then either approves or denies those applications for which they have the authority to approve or formulate a recommendation to the Commission on those proposals which require Commission review and approval. In any case, the applicant is notified in writing of the Architectural Committee's actions or recommendations. If the Architectural Committee denies a proposal and the applicant so wishes, or if the nature of the application is such that only the Commission may approve the work proposed,the matter will be heard before the Commission at its next monthly meeting.
Commission Application Authority
Regular Commission meetings are held at 1:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month in the 2nd floor conference room of our office at 334 Royal Street. See Calendar for specific meeting dates, upcoming agendas and previous meeting minutes.
At the Commission meeting, after a staff presentation and public comment, the Commission votes in public to either approve, deny or defer action on the application. The applicant is notified in writing of the Commission's decision. Any action of the Commission may be appealed by the applicant to the New Orleans City Council, within thirty (30) days of the date that the Commission notifies the applicant, in writing, of its actions. When a proposed demolition is involved, the Commission usually requires that said proposal lay over for one month before taking final action.
Agendas for both Architectural Committee and Commission meetings are sent to the applicant, the property owner and the architect. Also copies of the agenda are available at the Commission's office during the week prior to the meeting. All Architectural Committee and Commission meetings are open to the public.
PERMITS
All Commission permits expire six (6) months from the date they are issued. Prior to issuance, all permits must be read, signed and dated by the applicant or a duly appointed representative, thereby assuring the permit's correctness. All permits are subject to the "Conditions of the Permit" regulations as set forth in Section 103.5 of the New Orleans Building Code; and may or may not be renewed in accordance with same, if said work is not substantially completed during the life of the permit. All Commission permits must be picked up at our offices in addition to any Commission permits, another permit is required from the City's Department of Safety and Permits, except as noted in the New Orleans Building Code.
INSPECTIONS & VIOLATIONS
Staff inspectors survey buildings in the Vieux Carré to ensure that the work in progress conforms to specifications listed on theposted permit. Any work not "permitted" in advance by the Commission will be cited and/or stopped accordingly. violations include any exterior work executed without a permit, improper or illegally placed signs, lack of maintenance to the exterior of buildings including but not limited to the following: deteriorated millwork, missing stucco, deterioration or lack of mortar, lack of paint, missing or deteriorated architectural elements, missing/broken windows, etc.
There if often confusion when one owner is cited for a violation when there are other instances of the same type of violation nearby. The misunderstanding stems from the fact that any new exterior violation is illegal, but Louisiana courts prohibit prosecution of any known violation which as existed unchallenged by the Commission for over two (2) years. Additionally, while certain treatments may have been approved in the past, some of these solutions are not longer considered appropriate and therefore are not allowed today.
When a violation is noted, the owner of the property is notified in writing and requested to contact the Commission in order to resolve the problem. The staff is available to assist the property owner in understanding the policies and regulations of the Commission. However, if the property owner fails to respond to the violation notice or is unwilling to correct the problem, the Commission files an affidavit of charges against parties responsible for the violations with the City's Administrative Adjudication Bureau and/or the applicable court(s). Commission inspectors are deputized by the New Orleans Police Department and may issue a summons directly to a responsible party on the premises for certain violations.
DEFINITION AND USE OF CONCEPTUAL APPROVAL
Conceptual approval given by the Vieux Carré Commission means the sanctioning or holding in favorable regard a general idea or non-specific notion of some proposed work. Conceptual approval by the Architectural Committee or the Vieux Carré Commission does not automatically guarantee final approval of any subsequent submission. A conceptual approval of any project may be limited or further defined in any manner the Commission members may wish, so that any addition or lack of detail may be recognized as being omitted from said approval.
Conceptual approval is understood to limit a proposal in terms of its general size, scale, materials and use. Any particular details shown in such a preliminary proposal need not be considered approved or denied unless specifically noted. With each conceptual approval granted by the Vieux Carré Commission, unless specific approval authority is granted to the Architectural Committee or Staff, the final proposal, with details, shall be reviewed by the full Commission before the issuance of a permit for execution of the work. Therefore, the Vieux Carré Commission may retain final approval over each project.
Whenever the Commission wishes to forfeit the final review privilege, the motion granting Conceptual Approval shall include a clause transferring authority for final approval to the Architectural Committee or Commission Staff.