First: is your home actually in a local district?
Marietta lists five National Register districts (Atlanta-Frasier, Church-Cherokee, Northwest Marietta, Washington Avenue, Whitlock Avenue) — but National Register listing alone does not impose a COA on a private owner. Local designation does. Kennesaw Avenue (2013) is the confirmed first local district; Forest Avenue is also presented by the City as a local district. Confirm your parcel with Marietta Planning & Zoning before assuming either way.
The Kennesaw Avenue COA process
- Read your district's design guidelines before designing
- File a complete application with all street-visible elevations — incomplete applications are not forwarded to the Historic Preservation Commission
- Public hearing; notice is mailed to the owner, occupants and adjacent owners
- The Commission approves or rejects within 45 days of filing
- Building permits are not issued without proof of COA; approved work must start within 3 years; demolition additionally requires City Council approval
What this means for your renovation
Budget the COA into your timeline (it leads the City permit, which runs through SagesGov at $4 per $1,000 plus $50). Design additions to be compatible and subordinate. And treat any contractor who says 'we'll just pull the permit' for a Kennesaw Avenue exterior as a red flag. Our historic renovation page covers the craft side.
A realistic COA timeline, using a real permit example
Work backwards from your hoped-for start date. The Historic Preservation Commission has up to 45 days from filing to approve or reject a complete application, and an incomplete one is not forwarded at all — so the elevations and district guidelines come first, the hearing second, and only then the building permit. On fees, a city example keeps expectations honest: a $60,000 exterior project inside Marietta carries a $290 residential permit fee at $4 per $1,000 plus $50, filed through SagesGov once the COA is in hand. Approved work must start within 3 years, and demolition follows a separate path requiring City Council approval as well — which is why, on Kennesaw Avenue, the design conversation should begin a full season before the construction conversation. Keep a dated copy of the approval with your permit set, because inspectors and future buyers may both ask for it.