Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-147d (2026)

Certificate of appropriateness: Parking areas

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a) No building or structure shall be erected or altered within an historic district until after an application for a certificate of appropriateness as to exterior architectural features has been submitted to the historic district commission and approved by said commission.

(b) No building permit for erection of a building or structure or for alteration of an exterior architectural feature within an historic district and no demolition permit for demolition or removal of a building or structure within an historic district shall be issued by a municipality or any department, agency or official thereof until a certificate of appropriateness has been issued. A certificate of appropriateness shall be required whether or not a building permit is required.

(c) The historic district commission may request such plans, elevations, specifications, material and other information, including in the case of demolition or removal, a statement of the proposed condition and appearance of property after such demolition or removal, as may be reasonably deemed necessary by the commission to enable it to make a determination on the application. The style, material, size and location of outdoor advertising signs and bill posters within an historic district shall also be under the control of such commission. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to extend to the color of paint used on the exterior of any building or structure.

(d) No area within an historic district shall be used for industrial, commercial, business, home industry or occupational parking, whether or not such area is zoned for such use, until after an application for a certificate of appropriateness as to parking has been submitted to the commission and approved by said commission. The provisions of this section shall apply to the enlargement or alteration of any such parking area in existence on October 1, 1973.

(1961, P.A. 430, S. 4; 1963, P.A. 600, S. 2; P.A. 73-473, S. 1; P.A. 80-314, S. 4.)

History: 1963 act redefined “exterior architectural features”, deleted stone walls, fences, signs, light fixtures, steps and paving from purview of certificate and excluded exterior paint color from provisions of section; P.A. 73-473 added Subsec. (b) re parking areas; P.A. 80-314 deleted “restored, moved or demolished” and removed definition of “exterior architectural features” from Subsec. (a), added Subsec. (b) re certificates of appropriateness, added Subsec. (c) including provisions re signs and exterior paint color, previously in Subsec. (a), and stating what information is necessary for commission's decision on application and relettered former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d).

Cited. 153 C. 160; 171 C. 199; 189 C. 727; 196 C. 596.

Cited. 29 CA 28.

Subsec. (d):

A reading of the word “occupational” that restricts it strictly to for-profit commercial or industrial uses would render other words unnecessary surplusage, which would violate basic tenet of statutory construction that legislature does not intend to enact meaningless provisions; Subsec. plainly and unambiguously encompasses parking for private elementary educational facilities because legislature drafted statute with language clearly intended to subject a broad variety of nonresidential parking uses to historic district regulation; legislature's enactment of Sec. 7-147k(b) which exempts from provisions of historic district act “any property owned by a nonprofit institution of higher education, for as long as a nonprofit institution of higher education owns such property” further supports a construction of Subsec. subjecting nonprofit private elementary school to jurisdiction of commission. 284 C. 838.

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Notes of Decisions

Cited in 14 cases, 1976–2016 · leading case: Felician Sisters of St. Francis of Connecticut, Inc. v. Historic Dist. Comm'n, 937 A.2d 39 (Conn. 2008).

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Felician Sisters of St. Francis of Connecticut, Inc. v. Historic Dist. Comm'n, 937 A.2d 39 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 20× “The principal issue in this appeal is whether a town’s historic district commission has jurisdiction over the parking lot of a private elementary school pursuant to General Statutes § 7-147d (d). 1 The plaintiffs, the Felician Sisters of St.”

Historic Dist. Comm'n v. Hall, 923 A.2d 726 (Conn. 2007). · cites it 13× “Thereafter, the commission commenced this action against the defendants, seeking a judgment declaring that it has jurisdiction over the matter and that the defendants were required to submit an application for a certificate of appropriateness pursuant *676 to General Statutes §…”

Chabad Lubavitch of Litchfield Cnty., Inc. v. Borough of Litchfield, 853 F. Supp. 2d 214 (D. Conn. 2012). · cites it 7× “” Conn. Gen.Stat. § 7-147d. The Litchfield HDC clearly had final policymaking authority with regard to the decision of whether or not to approve Chabad’s certificate of appropriateness.”

Gibbons v. Historic Dist. Comm'n, 941 A.2d 917 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 2× “General Statutes § 7-147d (a) provides that, once a historic district is established, “[n]o building or structure shall be erected or altered within an historic district until after an application for a certificate of appropriateness as to exterior architectural features has…”

Figarsky v. Historic Dist. Comm'n, 368 A.2d 163 (Conn. 1976). “” This language incorporates by reference § 7-147d (a) of the General Statutes which declares that “ [n] o building or structure shall be .”

Barry v. Historic Dist. Comm'n, 950 A.2d 1 (Conn. App. Ct. 2008). “10 *702 Section 7-147e (b) provides in relevant part: “Within not more than sixty-five days after the filing of an application as required by section 7-147d, the commission shall pass upon such application and shall give written notice of its decision to the applicant.”

Historic Dist. Comm'n v. Sciame, 58 A.3d 354 (Conn. App. Ct. 2013). · cites it 2× “General Statutes § 7-147d (a) provides: “No building or structure shall be erected or altered within an historic district until after an application for a certificate of appropriateness as to exterior architectural features has been submitted to the historic district commission…”

First Church of Christ v. Historic Dist. Comm'n, 738 A.2d 224 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1998). · cites it 2× “” Pursuant to General Statutes § 7-147d (a), “[n]o building or structure shall be .”

Smith v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Greenwich, 614 A.2d 464 (Conn. App. Ct. 1992). · cites it 3× “Our disagreement with both the board and the trial court is the confusion of the planning and zoning commission’s duties and functions as to subdivision regulations and applications with the historic district commission’s duties as an administrative board to hear and decide…”

Farmington Sav. Bank v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 458 A.2d 1151 (Conn. 1983). “to 1963) § 7-147d provides: “No building or structure shall be erected, altered, restored, moved or demolished within the Farming-ton Historic District until after an application for a certificate of appropriateness as to exterior architectural features has been submitted to the…”

Chabad Lubavitch of Litchfield Cnty., Inc. v. Borough of Litchfield, 213 F. Supp. 3d 329 (D. Conn. 2016). · cites it 2× “See C.G.S.A. § 7-147d(a). Section 7-147c(e) of title 7 of the Connecticut General Statutes permits the HDC to adopt regulations which set forth the criteria by which it would judge applications.”

Morena v. Historic Dist. Comm'n, 934 A.2d 335 (Conn. Super. Ct. 2007). · cites it 3× “” General Statutes § 7-147f (a) sets forth the criteria to be examined by an historic district commission when determining whether a certificate of appropriateness should be issued.”

Show all 14 citing cases →

— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-147d(a) — 2 cases

Chabad Lubavitch of Litchfield Cnty., Inc. v. Borough of Litchfield, 853 F. Supp. 2d 214 (D. Conn. 2012). “” Conn. Gen.Stat. § 7-147d. The Litchfield HDC clearly had final policymaking authority with regard to the decision of whether or not to approve Chabad’s certificate of appropriateness.”

Chabad Lubavitch of Litchfield Cnty., Inc. v. Borough of Litchfield, 213 F. Supp. 3d 329 (D. Conn. 2016). “See C.G.S.A. § 7-147d(a). Section 7-147c(e) of title 7 of the Connecticut General Statutes permits the HDC to adopt regulations which set forth the criteria by which it would judge applications.”

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