Norhill is a City of Houston designated Historic District and separately, is protected by Norhill Neighborhood Association (NNA) Deed Restrictions.   The City of Houston Historic Preservation Office (CoH HP) and NNA work together to preserve Norhill’s charm and historical architectural integrity.  This charm is likely the reason you purchased your home in Norhill.  Retaining these qualities requires homeowners to request approval for most external renovations.  Also, keep in mind that you or your builder must also obtain permits from the City of Houston as required anywhere else in the city.

Listed below are suggested steps to minimize confusion and maximize success with proposed renovations:

1. Determine if your property is within Norhill 
2. Review the applicable deed restrictions
3. Determine if proposed renovations require NNA or CoH HP approval
4. Discuss proposed renovations with NNA and CoH HP
5. Develop plans for your proposed renovations while working with NNA and CoH HP
6. Obtain approval of finalized plans from NNA and CoH HP/HAHC
7. Pending approval of finalized plans, obtain applicable permits from the Houston Permitting Center

These steps are explained in greater detail below.

1. Determine if your property is within Norhill using the map that indicates the boundaries of Norhill, within which lots are governed by NNA and CoH HP.

2. Review the applicable deed restrictions. If you have questions, contact the Director of Deed Compliance. You can find deed restrictions for your area within Norhill at:

• North Norhill Deed Restrictions (Between Studewood and Michaux)
• East Norhill Deed Restrictions (Between Micheaux and Moss)

3. Determine if proposed renovations require NNA or CoH HP approval

1. Examples of renovations that require NNA review and approval:
   1. Installation of fencing
   2. Window replacement
   3. Roof replacement (if replacing with other than original style asphalt/composite shingles).
   4. Solar panel installation
   5. Front door replacement
   6. Pergolas, statues, and other architectural additions
   7. Exterior garage renovations
   8. Any new construction on the property.
2. Examples of renovations that do not require NNA review and approval (if in question, contact the NNA Director of Deed Compliance):
   1. Yard work or landscaping
   2. Exterior home repairs or maintenance such as:
      1. Foundation leveling (Note that leveling as listed here does not include changing the existing elevation of the home)
      2. Replacement of rotting wood with like materials
   3. Removal of vinyl siding, shingles or faux tiles installed over original siding with the intent to restore original siding
   4. Painting or paint color (Note that CoH HP does not allow any unpainted brick or mortar to be painted)
3. In general, any external renovation altering or demolishing historically contributing structures requires the application for a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) through CoH HP to ensure historically significant architectural features are preserved. More specific information and instructions are available at: https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres/

4. It is encouraged that you contact and work with NNA and CoH HP in the initial stages of consideration to guide design efforts, to minimize cost and delay associated with uninformed design development. Imagine hiring an architectural firm, spending several weeks to months developing and perfecting a design, developing a corresponding complete set of drawings and the associated cost, only to find out that substantial design aspects do not comply with restrictions or historic district guidelines. To start the design and review process, the development of a conceptual plan view sketch is recommended. Often you can take your current survey, make copies of it, and sketch on the copies. Developing plan sketches allows you to work through some of the details and possibilities and the sketch also provides a definitive communication tool to use with NNA, CoH HP, and eventually your design agent or architect.

Please send all NNA approval requests by the close of business (5:00 PM CT) on the Friday prior to the 1st Tuesday of the month to the NNA Director of Deed Compliance. Place the address of the renovations in the subject line – and attach photos, drawings, surveys, and any pertinent information that might be useful to describe the project. This will help to expedite the review process.

5. Continue to work with NNA and CoH HP throughout the design process. Most renovations tend to be an iterative process during design and development.

6. Submit finalized plans to obtain approval from NNA and CoH HP/Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (HAHC). Information that must be submitted to NNA’s Deed Compliance Chairman for final official review and approval:

1. Plan drawings that include:
   1. Existing plan and proposed plan.
   2. Property lines and dimensioned building setbacks.
2. Elevation drawings that include
   1. Existing and proposed views.
   2. Exterior finish details, existing and proposed.
3. Photo examples are encouraged for any details but are specifically helpful with doors, windows, and fences.
4. Fence installation:  A plan drawing indicating the proposed fence location, with dimensions from property lines and details indicating of overall height and materials.   A sample elevation or picture could be used to indicate fence styles and overall height.

The NNA board is required to respond within 30 days of e-mail receipt for all requests.

The Deed Compliance Chairman is the point of contact for all communications and is responsible for organizing and processing all deed compliance-related reviews, meetings, correspondence, and records. A standing Deed Compliance Committee (DCC) consisting of architects, engineers, lawyers, and longtime residents assembles, generally, on the 1st Tuesday of each month to review and assess submittals in detail concerning deed restrictions, to make recommendations to the elected NNA board. The elected NNA board assembles on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for a general business meeting. Within the general business meeting, submitted drawings and corresponding DCC recommendations are reviewed with an independent assessment prior to voting to approve or reject, identifying specific aspects of submittals with compliance issues.

Different from NNA approval, CoH HP considers historically significant architectural aspects associated with home renovations. Although it is encouraged to work with both NNA and CoH HP in the early stages of consideration, it is recommended that you obtain final NNA approval prior to submitting drawings to CoH HP for final review and approval.

If you submit drawings to NNA and CoH HP in parallel, by the time you receive a NNA response, it will likely be too late to make any changes to your submittal to CoH HP, as CoH HP requires drawings to be submitted 22 day prior to the next HAHC meeting, potentially forcing re-application, paying associated CoH application fees again, and delay.

When requirements differ between NNA and CoH HP, the more restrictive requirement prevails.

7. Pending approval of finalized plans, obtain applicable permits from the Houston Permitting Center (HPC). If you are working with a legitimate contractor, the contractor will obtain permits when required, for your project. If you plan to self-construct, visit the following link for details on the process of obtaining a permit. The process starts with completing a Plan Review. https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/building-code-enforcement.html