In most New Orleans historic districts, repainting does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness, and the landmarks commissions state they have no jurisdiction over exterior paint color. Approval is still needed for previously unpainted brick, for painting that involves caulking or changing weatherboards, and for brick and roofing color. The French Quarter differs, because the Vieux Carre Commission requires a paint permit and approves colors.
Choosing a color for an older New Orleans house feels like a design decision until you learn a commission may have a say. The answer depends far less on taste than on which side of a district boundary the property sits.
Owners in the same neighborhood routinely get different answers, usually because they are asking different review bodies. At Big Easy Painters, we paint historic homes across the city and deal with these requirements regularly.
What follows is what the current rules actually say, plus how color behaves on older exteriors once it is on the wall. Contact us today to confirm what applies to your address before you commit to a scheme.
New Orleans regulates historic properties through more than one commission, and the difference matters more than most homeowners expect. The Historic District Landmarks Commission has jurisdiction over the fourteen residential local historic districts, a separate Central Business District commission covers the four downtown districts, and the Vieux Carre Commission has its own jurisdiction over the French Quarter.
They operate under different rules with different paperwork. A requirement that applies on one street may not apply a few blocks away, purely because a boundary runs between them.
Designation type matters too. The only protection National Register listing provides is limited control over federally funded projects, while local designation is what regulates exterior changes in the district. The first question is always which local district a property sits in.
This is where the confusion clusters. The short version is that repainting is treated differently from renovating, and the French Quarter is treated differently from everywhere else.
A Certificate of Appropriateness is what the Historic District Landmarks Commission issues for repairs, alterations, additions, demolition, relocation, new construction, and site work such as fencing or paving. Painting a building is not on that list.
The City states the point directly on its Certificate of Appropriateness page: the painting of a building does not need a Certificate of Appropriateness from that office. Changing the color alone falls under the same rule.
That surprises owners who assumed every exterior choice needed review. The commissions state in their published FAQ that they have no jurisdiction over exterior paint color, though they do regulate the color of brick, the color of roofing material, and the painting of previously unpainted masonry.
Color is only half the picture. Two painting scenarios also pull the work back under review, and both are common on older houses. The first is painting brick that has never been painted before.
The second is painting that involves caulking and/or changing weatherboards. Once the job crosses from coating a surface into altering the building fabric, it is no longer just painting.
That second exception catches more projects than people expect, because rotted weatherboards on a century-old house are routine. Confirm the scope before the crew starts, not after a board comes off. Our exterior home painting service flags that boundary during the walkthrough.
Inside the area bounded by Iberville Street, North Rampart Street, Esplanade Avenue, and the Mississippi River, the Vieux Carre Commission requires a paint permit for all outside painting affecting the exterior of any building on private property. That applies whether or not the painted area is visible from the street.
Touch-ups do not require the permit. Large jobs do, as does any work where equipment blocks a sidewalk or public right of way.
Color is genuinely reviewed here. The application has to state whether the proposal matches the existing colors or introduces new ones, and new colors must be approved by the Commission.
Rules aside, historic exteriors handle color in ways newer construction does not. Three factors change the outcome more than the swatch does.
Older New Orleans houses carry far more trim than modern ones. Brackets, spindles, cornices, shutters, and railings all read as separate surfaces, and each one either sharpens the facade or flattens it.
A scheme that works on a plain wall can look muddy on a bracketed one. The relationship between the three values matters more than any one of them.
Shutters deserve their own thought. They are usually the highest-contrast element on the front of the house, so they set the tone for everything else.
Century-old wood is rarely flat. Decades of coating buildup, patching, and settling leave texture a modern board does not have.
Higher sheen amplifies all of it. Gloss on old trim highlights every ripple, while a lower sheen lets the profile read cleanly from the sidewalk.
Sheen also affects durability, so the choice is not purely visual. It balances how the finish looks against how it lasts.
No color performs on a surface that was not prepared for it. Chalking, mildew, and failed caulk all sit between the wall and the finish.
Older exteriors need gentler handling during cleaning. Our gentle exterior cleaning uses controlled pressure because a high-pressure wand can drive water behind weatherboards and open joints on an old house.
Light also matters. Strong Gulf sun makes a color sampled indoors read lighter on the wall, so test a sample on site.
If the property sits inside the Vieux Carre, the application is a document package rather than a phone call. Everything below is submitted digitally through the City’s OneStop portal.
| What You Submit | Why the Commission Wants It | Practical Note |
|---|---|---|
| Completed VCC Paint Application form | Defines the scope of work being reviewed | Filed through OneStop, not over the counter |
| Photographs of the areas to be painted | Shows current condition and what is being changed | Take them before any prep work begins |
| Paint chips of the proposed colors, with manufacturer, color name, color number, and degree of gloss | Identifies the exact color and finish proposed | Flat, satin, or semi-gloss has to be stated |
| Documentation of the existing colors, if possible | Establishes whether you are matching or changing | New colors must be approved by the Commission |
| Scanned copies of all materials | Staff do not scan documents for applicants | Allow time to digitize everything yourself |
Timing is the piece people miss. Applications need to arrive two weeks before the meeting where they will be considered. A repaint timed around a holiday has to start on paper well before it starts on the wall.
For most historic-district homeowners outside the French Quarter, the color decision is yours, and the thing to watch is whether the job quietly grows into changing weatherboards or unpainted brick. Inside the Vieux Carre, the color is part of a reviewed permit, and the calendar drives the project as much as the paint does.
At Big Easy Painters, we walk the property first, identify which rules apply to the address, and prepare the documentation a submission needs. Call us today to review your historic exterior and map out the right sequence for your district.
Generally no. The City states that painting a building does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Landmarks Commission, and changing color alone falls under the same rule. Approval is required if the job includes painting a previously unpainted brick surface, or caulking and/or changing weatherboards.
Outside the French Quarter, mostly yes. The landmarks commissions state they have no jurisdiction over exterior paint color, though they do regulate the color of brick, the color of roofing material, and the painting of previously unpainted masonry. Inside the Vieux Carre, the application must state whether colors match existing or are new, and new colors must be approved.
Yes. A paint permit is required for exterior painting on French Quarter buildings, regardless of whether the painted area is visible from the street. Touch-ups are exempt, but large jobs require the permit, as does any work where equipment blocks a sidewalk or public right of way.
Yes. Painting a previously unpainted brick surface is one of the two named exceptions that do require a Certificate of Appropriateness, the other being painting that involves caulking and/or changing weatherboards. The commissions separately state that they regulate the color of brick and the painting of previously unpainted masonry.
It covers repairs, alterations, additions, demolition, relocation, new construction, and site work such as fencing or paving on properties in historic districts. Routine painting sits outside that list. The certificate is the mechanism the Historic District Landmarks Commission uses to review changes to a building’s appearance and fabric.
All initial applications must be received by the Vieux Carre Commission office two weeks before the date of the meeting at which the proposal is to be considered. Staff schedule a hearing only after all necessary materials have been provided, so an incomplete package pushes the date back.
No. The City specifically notes that a paint permit is not required for touch-ups, though it is required for large jobs. It is also required if you are setting up equipment that will block a sidewalk or other right of way, so confirm the scope with the Commission before starting.
The City publishes maps of all the historic districts, and the Historic District Landmarks Commission and Vieux Carre Commission can confirm which jurisdiction applies to a specific address. Checking before the project is scoped avoids finding out mid-job that part of the work needed review.
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By Admin 
Aug 31, 2026 
