Over the past year, the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) began a series of updates to the Baltimore City Historic Preservation Design Guidelines. CHAP encourages community and stakeholder involvement in this process and will be taking public comment on the revisions. Revisions to the design guidelines must be approved by the Commission at a public hearing. You can view the most current version of the Design Guidelines here.

All updates will be reviewed and voted on by the Commission at a CHAP Hearing. Any comments or questions regarding these updates may be directed to us by clicking here.

  • Phase 1 - Presented at the February 9, 2021, CHAP Hearing
    • PDF of proposed updates
    • Staff Presentation of Proposed Revisions
      • General edits to address typos and grammatical errors,
      • Updates to address inaccuracies and best practices,
      • Addition of guidelines for decks in Section 1.9.1
      • In addition to interior materials in Section 3.3.1,
      • Addition of guidelines to address planting beds in Section 4.1.1,
      • Addition of guidelines to provide further details on fences, walls, and gates in Section 4.2.4,
      • Additions and clarification to Chapter 6: Design Guidelines for Artistic Expression, specifically the language surrounding the installation of murals.
  • Phase 1.5 - Approved by the Commission at the March 9, 2021, CHAP Hearing
  • Phase 2 - Public Comment Period Open (May 13, 2022), to be Presented to the Commission at the June 14, 2022, CHAP Hearing
    • PDF of Proposed Updates
      • Updates guidelines to meet the Style Manual for Maryland Regulations
      • Additional public comments on changes presented in Phase 1 may be submitted.