A Denver guide for buyers and owners
Buying & Owning a Historic Home in Denver: What You Need to Know
An old house and a designated historic property are two different things. Here is how to tell which one you are looking at, and what to check before you make an offer or plan a remodel.
Age, architectural significance and legal historic designation are three different things.
Denver’s older neighborhoods are full of Victorians, Denver Squares, bungalows and Tudors, and plenty of buyers come to me wanting one. I understand why. The woodwork, the porches and the brick are hard to reproduce today.
Here is the part that surprises people. Most of those houses have no historic designation at all. A smaller number are individually designated Denver landmarks or sit inside a locally designated historic district, and on those properties, changes to the outside of the house can need city review before permits move forward.
This page explains the difference in plain English, which kinds of projects get reviewed, and what I would check before you buy. The goal is to make sure you know what you are buying before you fall for the front porch.
Please read: this is general education, not legal advice, and I am a real estate broker, not an attorney or a preservation architect. Preservation rules, district boundaries and incentive programs change, and individual properties can carry extra requirements. Confirm the current status of a specific property and project with Denver Landmark Preservation.
Start here
First, check whether the house is actually designated
An older house is not automatically a landmark. A 1905 Denver Square, a 1925 bungalow or a 1930s Tudor may have no historic designation at all.
Any Denver house can fall into one of these categories, and some fall into more than one:
- An individually designated Denver landmark
- Inside a locally designated Denver historic district
- Listed individually on the Colorado State Register
- Part of a State Register historic district
- Listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places
- Inside a National Register historic district
- More than one of the above
Local, state and national designation are not the same thing
For most Denver owners, only one of the three changes how you plan a renovation. Here is how they compare.
Denver landmark designation
This is the category with the biggest practical effect. A property can be an individually designated Denver landmark or sit inside a locally designated historic district. Exterior work that needs a building or zoning permit generally may also need Landmark Preservation design review.
- Who runs it
- City and County of Denver, Landmark Preservation
- Reviews exterior changes?
- Yes, through design review
- Where to check
- Denver’s landmark and district map (opens in a new tab)
Colorado State Register
History Colorado keeps the state’s register of historic properties. Listing recognizes historic significance and can relate to preservation programs. Do not assume it works like local Denver designation.
- Who runs it
- History Colorado
- Reviews exterior changes?
- Do not assume so. Verify the specific property
- Where to check
- History Colorado’s searchable list (opens in a new tab)
National Register of Historic Places
Listing recognizes significance. For a privately owned property, listing on its own generally does not prohibit alterations or demolition under federal law. Federal review can come into play when federal funding, licensing or permits are involved.
- Who runs it
- National Park Service
- Reviews exterior changes?
- Not by itself for most private owners. Local designation is a separate question
- Where to check
- History Colorado’s searchable list (opens in a new tab)
A Landmark Preservation medallion and the plaque at the Governor’s Residence. A marker on the front of a house is a clue, not proof. I still confirm designation by the exact address.
What designation covers
What Denver historic designation looks at
Denver’s preservation process is mostly concerned with the historic character you can see on a designated property or within a designated district.
Depending on the property and the district, character-defining features can include:
- Building shape and massing
- Roof form
- Porches
- Windows
- Doors
- Exterior masonry
- Siding
- Chimneys
- Architectural ornament
- Historic walls or fences
- Garages and accessory structures
- The relationship between the house and the lot
The goal is not to freeze a house in time. Historic homes change, and the question reviewers ask is whether the important historic features are kept and whether the change fits the character of the building.
Does designation control the interior?
Denver’s landmark design review generally focuses on the exterior, not ordinary interior remodeling. You usually have much more freedom with kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, finishes, mechanical systems and layouts.
Normal building codes and permits still apply. Easements, covenants, grants and tax-incentive agreements can add their own obligations, so check the specific property.
Remodeling
Can you remodel a designated Denver home?
Yes. Designation does not mean a house can never change. Renovations, additions and modern upgrades all happen. The difference is that certain exterior work needs Landmark Preservation review before permits move forward.
Denver reviews projects against the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and its own design guidelines. When a project is approved, the city issues a Certificate of Appropriateness, and that certificate goes in with your building or zoning permit application.
Not every project goes to a hearing
Staff review
Many smaller projects that clearly meet the guidelines can be reviewed by Landmark Preservation staff without a commission hearing. Denver says staff generally do their initial evaluation within about 10 business days.
Commission review
Larger, unusual or less clear-cut projects go to the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission, which can approve, approve with conditions, continue or deny. Denver’s design review page lists work like larger additions (currently more than 900 square feet or more than 40 percent added square footage), new construction, changes to character-defining or visible windows, doors and porches, and demolition of primary structures.
Those thresholds and lists change as Denver updates its guidelines. Use Denver’s design review page (opens in a new tab) for the current version.
Projects that may need Landmark review
- Window replacement
- Exterior doors
- Roof replacement
- Additions
- Second-story additions and pop-tops
- New garages or garage changes
- New construction
- Porches
- Exterior siding
- Masonry work
- Fences and retaining walls
- Skylights
- Solar panels
- Mechanical equipment
- Changes to significant site features
- Demolition
Whether a specific project needs review, and which track it takes, depends on the property, the district and the scope of the work. Landmark Preservation staff can tell you. I would rather you ask before you hire an architect than after.
How I would work through a project on a designated home
Verify designation
Confirm exactly what applies to the address.
Review guidelines
Read the guidelines for that property or district.
Define the project
Decide what you actually want to change.
Confirm feasibility
Ask Landmark Preservation whether it is likely to fit, before you close or pay for plans.
Apply
Request design review, then apply for building or zoning permits.
The questions I hear most
Windows, additions, garages and other big projects
Most buyers of older homes have a project in mind before they have a contract. These are the answers, with the caveat that your specific address decides.
Can you replace the windows?
Possibly, but windows get extra attention. Original windows are often character-defining features, and on a locally designated property, replacement may need review. Reviewers tend to favor repairing existing windows, keeping the historic openings and proportions, or using a compatible replacement design.
Denver has been updating its window and door guidelines, and the updated approach is meant to allow more flexibility for windows that are not distinctive character windows. Confirm which guidelines apply to your address before you plan the work.
If you are counting on new windows throughout the house, find out whether that is feasible before you close, not after.
Can you add onto a historic house?
Often, yes. Reviewers look at placement, visibility, height, scale, massing, roof design, materials and how the addition relates to the original building.
Do not assume a major addition or a pop-top will be approved because neighboring homes have one. A pop-top down the block tells you what exists, not what would be approved today.
Can you build a garage or an ADU?
Historic designation does not automatically prohibit a garage, an ADU or another accessory structure. Zoning, building requirements and Landmark Preservation design review can all apply at once. Confirm feasibility for the specific site before you count on it.
Can you install solar panels?
Designation does not automatically rule out solar. Placement may be reviewed for its visual impact on historic roof forms, chimneys, dormers, street visibility and roof edges.
Can you change the paint color?
Choosing an ordinary exterior paint color is generally a different matter from altering historic materials. The one I would check first is painting brick or stone that has never been painted, because that is hard to reverse. Repainting a surface that is already painted is usually a different question. Verify before you start.
What about routine maintenance?
Routine maintenance is not the same as a major alteration. Keep up the roof, drainage, masonry, wood trim, windows, porch and foundation. Deferred maintenance is what turns a small repair into a large and expensive one.
Can a Denver landmark be demolished?
Demolition is one of the biggest differences between an undesignated older house and a locally protected one. Denver’s design review page lists demolition of primary structures among the work that goes to the commission. Do not buy a designated property assuming a teardown or redevelopment will be simple.
Districts and landmarks
A house in a district does not have to be famous
A house does not need to be individually notable or architecturally exceptional to be subject to local design review. A home inside a locally designated Denver historic district may be reviewed even if nobody has ever written about it.
Contributing property
A contributing property generally helps convey the historic character or significance of the district.
Non-contributing property
A non-contributing property may be newer or substantially altered. That does not automatically exempt it from district review, so ask how Landmark Preservation treats the specific address.
The Humboldt Street Historic District near Cheesman Park. Design review applies to the houses inside a district’s boundaries, not only the ones people have heard of.
Boundary warning
A neighborhood name is not a district boundary
Baker, Montclair and Potter Highlands are known for their older homes. A house in one of them is not automatically inside a locally designated district, and a house one block away may be treated differently from the one you are touring.
Look up the exact address. Do not go by the neighborhood name in the listing.
Before you buy
Seven questions to ask before you buy a designated home
I would want the designation confirmed before the inspection period ends, and preferably before we tour. Nothing on this list takes long, and all of it is cheaper to learn early.
1. What type of historic designation applies?
Find out whether the property is locally landmarked, inside a Denver historic district, state-listed, National Register-listed or subject to more than one of these.
2. Is the house contributing or non-contributing?
If it is in a historic district, find out how it is classified and whether district-specific guidelines apply.
3. Are there property-specific design guidelines?
Some districts and landmark properties have additional guidance beyond the general city standards.
4. Were previous renovations approved?
Review permits and available records for additions, windows, porches, roofing, garages and other exterior changes.
5. What changes do you hope to make?
If you plan major exterior changes, investigate feasibility before you close. This is the question that costs buyers the most when they skip it.
6. Have you budgeted for compatible materials and specialized trades?
Some repairs need historically appropriate dimensions, materials or craftsmanship, and that can change the cost.
7. Is there an easement, covenant, grant agreement or other restriction?
Review title documents and preservation records for obligations that are separate from ordinary landmark designation.
Weighing the tradeoffs
What designation can give you and what it can cost you
Whether designation is a plus depends on what you want to do with the house. Both columns are true at once.
Potential advantages
Preservation of neighborhood character
Historic-district rules can reduce inappropriate demolition and incompatible exterior changes across the whole district, including the house next door.
Architectural continuity
Design review encourages changes that respect the proportions, materials and defining features of older buildings.
Preservation guidance
Owners may gain access to useful technical guidance for maintaining older materials correctly.
Potential financial incentives
Certain qualifying properties and rehabilitation projects may be eligible for preservation tax credits, grants or other programs. Eligibility is not guaranteed, and programs can require approval before work begins.
Potential concerns
Less freedom with exterior changes
A locally designated home may not suit a buyer who wants to change the exterior dramatically.
Additional review
Some projects need another approval step before ordinary permits can move forward.
Longer planning timelines
Larger renovations may need additional drawings, review and revisions.
Specialized contractors and materials
Historic masonry, windows, roofing and trim can call for specialized expertise.
Potentially higher restoration costs
Repairing original materials can sometimes cost more than standard replacement.
Uncertainty around future projects
Do not buy on the assumption that a major addition, garage, ADU or demolition will probably be approved.
The other side of it
Historic does not mean untouchable
A landmark house does not have to function like a museum. Denver’s historic homes continue to work as modern residences, and they can accommodate updated kitchens and bathrooms, new mechanical systems, air conditioning, solar, additions, garages, ADUs and more living space.
The distinction that matters is that locally protected exterior changes need to respect the features that made the property or the district historically significant. If your plans do that, there is usually a path. My job is to help you find out early whether yours does.
Buyer checklist
The historic-home due-diligence checklist
Tick these off as you go. Nothing you check here is saved or sent anywhere.
0 of 10 checked
Official sources
Where to verify anything on this page
Rules change and every property is different. These are the sources I would go to first, and they beat any real estate blog, including this one.
Landmark Preservation (opens in a new tab)
Local landmark designation, design review, current guidelines and how to reach staff. Start here for anything about a specific address.
Open resourceHistoric landmarks and districts map (opens in a new tab)
Look up whether an address is an individual landmark or sits inside a locally designated district.
Open resourceDenver Building History Tutorial (opens in a new tab)
A step-by-step guide to researching a Denver building, from construction date to permits and past owners.
Open resourceDiscover Denver (opens in a new tab)
A citywide survey of historically, architecturally and culturally significant buildings, built with volunteers.
Open resourceResources for building owners (opens in a new tab)
Guidance for owners of designated properties, including design review, preservation easements and tax credits.
Open resourceNational and State Register listed properties (opens in a new tab)
Search every Colorado property listed on the National Register or the Colorado State Register by county and designation level.
Open resourcePreservation tax credits (opens in a new tab)
An overview of Colorado’s state and federal preservation tax credit programs. Check eligibility and timing before work begins.
Open resourceNational Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)
The federal program’s home page, including what the National Register is and how listing works.
Open resourceFAQ
Historic homes in Denver: common questions
Is every old house in Denver considered historic?
No. Age alone does not create a historic designation. A home can be more than 100 years old without being an individually designated landmark or sitting in a protected historic district.
Can I remodel the inside of a Denver landmark?
Local landmark review generally focuses on exterior changes. Ordinary interior remodeling still follows normal building codes and permits. Check the property for easements, grants or incentive agreements that could add requirements.
Can I replace windows on a historic house?
Potentially. On a locally designated property, replacement may need review, and original windows may be treated as character-defining features. Denver has been updating its window and door guidelines, so confirm the current rules for the specific address before you plan the work.
Can I add onto a historic Denver home?
Often, yes. Design review can look at placement, massing, height, roof form, materials and how the addition relates to the historic building. Do not assume an addition is approvable because a neighbor has one.
Can I build an ADU on a historic property?
Designation does not automatically prohibit an ADU. Zoning, building requirements and landmark review can all apply, so confirm feasibility for the specific site.
Do I need permission to paint my historic house?
Ordinary paint color choice is generally a different matter from permanently altering historic materials. Check before you paint brick or stone that has never been painted, or before you make any change that cannot be undone.
Does National Register listing prevent me from remodeling?
Not by itself for most privately owned homes. Local landmark rules can regulate exterior changes separately, so check whether the address is also locally designated.
Can a historic home be demolished?
Demolition of a locally designated landmark or a property in a historic district can be subject to preservation review, and it can be substantially more difficult than demolishing an undesignated home. Confirm the process with Landmark Preservation before you plan around it.
Are there tax benefits to owning a historic house?
Some qualifying rehabilitation projects may be eligible for incentives, but designation alone does not create a tax benefit. Program rules differ and can require approval before work begins, so verify with History Colorado before you start.
Explore neighborhoods
Neighborhoods known for older homes
Older housing stock does not mean designation. These guides cover the character of each area. Check the exact address for any home you like.
Next step
Thinking about buying an older Denver home?
Old houses can offer details and craftsmanship that new construction does not. They also call for a different kind of due diligence: the physical condition of the house, and whether any historic designation applies to the address.
If you are looking at a Denver Square, bungalow, Tudor, Victorian or another older house, send me the address. I can help you check its designation status before you spend money on an inspection, and I will tell you plainly if a plan you have in mind looks like a poor fit.
How this guide was put together. Regulatory summaries draw on pages from Denver Landmark Preservation (opens in a new tab), History Colorado (opens in a new tab), the National Park Service (opens in a new tab) and Historic Denver (opens in a new tab), last reviewed in September 2026. Denver is updating its landmark design guidelines in phases, so details such as window and door rules, review thresholds and timelines can change.
This page is general education, not legal advice. It does not tell you whether any particular project will be approved or denied, and it does not promise eligibility for any tax credit, grant or other incentive. Confirm the status of a specific property and project with Denver Landmark Preservation.
Marla Doughty
Broker Associate, Compass
720.454.5432 · marla.doughty@compass.com · calendly.com/marlamdoughty (opens in a new tab)