The Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is comprised of two different Boards:  BAR-Large (BAR-L) for large projects and BAR-Small (BAR-S) for small projects. BAR-L agendas are capped at 8 items and BAR-S agendas are capped at 15 items.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR BAR SUBMITTALS

Due to the number of submittals, the BAR-S agenda for February 12, 2026 has already been filled. The next available agenda will be for the February 26, 2026 meeting, which has a deadline of February 9 at noon.

Due to a high number of BAR Board submittals, applicants are encouraged to apply prior to the posted deadline, although this does not guarantee inclusion on the agenda. BAR-S and BAR-L meetings are capped at 15 and 8 agenda items, respectively. It is imperative your Board packet follow all submittal requirements on the checklist. Submittals that do not meet checklist requirements will not be put on the agenda. All applications are required to be submitted via the CSS Portal as that is the time stamp used in setting the agenda.

BOARD MEETINGS

• BAR-L - 2nd Wednesday of every month (unless otherwise noted).
• BAR-S - 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month (unless otherwise noted).
• See Related Documents section below for full schedule. 
• 4:30 p.m., 2 George Street, First Floor, Public Meeting Room 1403
• AGENDA 
• IMAGE OVERVIEW - Information on each application, including documents provided by the applicant 
• YOUTUBE - Meetings are live streamed and video recordings are posted to YouTube  

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

• Speak in person at the meeting. You do not have to sign up in advance. There is no Zoom option.
• Written comments must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. the business day before the meeting and must be submitted at http://innovate.charleston-sc.gov/comments/. Written comments will be provided to the board members 24 hours in advance of the meeting and will be acknowledged into the record and summarized. You are encouraged to attend the meeting in person to speak if you would prefer your comments to be fully heard. You may also mail/deliver written comments to the Planning Department, 2 George Street, Suite 3100, Charleston, SC 29401. 
• Questions? Please call the Planning Department at 843-724-3781.

AGENDAS & RESULTS

Agendas are available prior to the meetings and results are available following the meetings. 
Most recent agenda | View all agendas and results

Meeting video recordings are archived and can be viewed on YouTube.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR BAR SUBMITTALS

Due to the number of submittals, the BAR-S agenda for February 12, 2026 has already been filled. The next available agenda will be for the February 26, 2026 meeting, which has a deadline of February 9 at noon.
 

Due to a high number of BAR Board submittals, applicants are encouraged to apply prior to the posted deadline, although this does not guarantee inclusion on the agenda. BAR-S and BAR-L meetings are capped at 15 and 8 agenda items, respectively. It is imperative your Board packet follow all submittal requirements on the checklist. Submittals that do not meet checklist requirements will not be put on the agenda. All applications are required to be submitted via the CSS Portal as that is the time stamp used in setting the agenda.

BOARD SUBMITTALS

Projects for BAR-L and BAR-S meeting agendas must be submitted digitally as one combined PDF through the Customer Self Service (CSS) portal. Digital presentations will not be accepted via email, after the deadline, or during the meeting. Submittals must include a current application (pdf), complete plan set (pdf), valuation of the project, and relevant Submittal Requirements checklist document (see forms below). Applications are due by NOON on the deadline date (see Related Documents section below for current schedule). When making submittals please use the latest version of documents found on this website as they are updated frequently. 

CSS Submittal Requirements:

Prior to submitting projects through the Customer Self Service (CSS) portal, please review the instructions provided below:
CSS Submittal Instructions for BAR

If you do not currently have a CSS account, the registration process can take up to three (3) business days for the account to become active. Please account for this time when considering board deadlines. Please visit the CSS Registration page for more information.

For General BAR Questions:

• Email bar@charleston-sc.gov
  (Note:  Please do not submit applications to this email address. Applications will only be accepted through the CSS portal.)
• Call the Planning & Preservation Department at 843-724-3765
• Visit the Permit Center, located at 2 George Street
• For all other related inquiries, please continue communicating with staff via email and phone.

STAFF REVIEW SUBMITTALS

Simple requests such as painting, rot repair, and small modifications may be applied for in-person in the Permit Center or in a permit through the Customer Self-Service Portal and will be reviewed in the permit by Preservation Staff. Please include other applicable applications, photographs, and valuation of request. See also information about the Permit Center. 

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BAR UNIVERSITY

BAR University is a lunchtime series presented by Preservation Division staff featuring a variety of topics for homeowners and contractors. 

BAR University is open to the public and held in the Public Meeting Room, 2 George Street. No RSVP or advance sign-up needed. Workshops will be recorded and available on the City of Charleston Public Meetings YouTube Channel. 

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

• Thursday, November 6, 2025
  "Signed, Sealed & Delivered: The ins and outs of signage permits"
  12:00 - 1:00 p.m.  |  Public Meeting Room, First Floor, 2 George Street
  As part of the BAR University lunchtime series, this workshop will take business owners and sign professionals step by step through: how to apply for signage; what makes an application incomplete; what staff is looking for in the sign design per ordinance; and a summary of specific signage types, when to use them and key aspects of their design.

PAST WORKSHOPS

• Monday, September 15, 2025
  "African American Historic Resources Survey Public Meeting"
  6:30 p.m.  |  Charleston County Public Library - Main Branch, 68 Calhoun St. - Auditorium
  This summer the City of Charleston has been working on updating its Architectural Inventory on the Peninsula for the first time in almost 40 years. New South Associates (a cultural resources consulting firm) has been hired to complete the project in partnership with the City's Division of Preservation and Urban Design, which includes identifying and surveying properties that have historical or architectural significant that were not previously surveyed. An additional Federal Historic Preservation Grant was also obtained to perform an African American Historic Resources Survey. New South will begin their focus on African American Heritage on the peninsula in mid-September. At this public meeting New South will describe its scope and work to date preparing for the African American Historic Resources Survey. New South also welcomes public input on resources that should be investigated related to African American Heritage. An overview to New South’s general survey process can be found on the BAR’s webpage under the BAR University tab. The existing inventory also be found on the website:  https://www.charleston-sc.gov/2731/Historic-Resources-Survey-Architectural-
  Presentation Slides
  
  
• Thursday, September 4, 2025
  "BAR Intermediate:  Mastering the Submittal Process"
  12:00 - 1:00 p.m.  |  Public Meeting Room, First Floor, 2 George Street
  In this BAR University workshop, preservation staff will explain best practices in submitting a variety of application types with examples from prior applicants. Staff will explain what we look for in historical context information, street sections, showing existing, previous and proposed, window schedules and more. This session is a primer on how to apply successfully once without pesky revision requests because of an incomplete submittal.
  Presentation Recording
  
  
• Thursday, May 1, 2025
  "Historic Materials Demolition Purview District:  Everything You Did (and Didn't) Want to Know”
  12:00 - 1:00 p.m.  |  Public Meeting Room, First Floor, 2 George Street
  Come learn about the Historic Materials Demolition Purview District (also known as the North of Line Policy)! In this BAR University session, preservation staff will explain:  what the Historic Materials Demolition Purview District is, what staff look at, how we review applications in the district, what you need to include in a staff/permit application, how to apply to the Board of Architectural Review - Large or Small if you have a property in this district, and more.
  Presentation Recording
  Presentation Slides
  
  
• Wednesday, April 30, 2025
  Architectural Survey Kick-off Public Presentation
  12:00 - 1:00 p.m.  |  Public Meeting Room, First Floor, 2 George Street
  Come learn about the updating of the Architectural Survey by consultants New South Associates. 
  Presentation Recording
  Presentation Slides
  
  
• Thursday, March 6, 2025
  "Historic Property Research 101:  What You Need and How to Find it for Free"
  12:00 - 1:00 p.m.  |  Public Meeting Room, First Floor, 2 George Street
  The Division of Preservation and Urban Design is continuing its BAR University lunchtime series. The next workshop, “Historic Property Research 101: What You Need and How to Find it for Free," will take homeowners and contractors step by step through how to do historic property research and when and why this research can help your BAR application. Basic resources will include:  City of Charleston Architectural Surveys and vertical files/CSS portal, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Historic Aerials.com, tax records, Google Maps, and the Historic Charleston online archive. The workshop will include a walk-through of a mock historic property research search to see how to use the websites and how their information can come together to paint a full picture and help make an argument.
  Presentation Recording
  Historic Research Resource Handout
  
  
• December 5, 2024
  "BAR Basics:  What We Do, How We Do It, and Common Misconceptions"
  The first workshop, "BAR Basics," guided homeowners and contractors step by step through BAR submittal and permit processes and basic standards.
  Presentation Slides

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City Calendar

2026 Schedule of Board Deadlines and Meeting Dates (PDF)

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