You bought a 1910 Prairie-style home in Winnetka. Or maybe a George Maher-designed Tudor on a tree-lined street that feels like it was drawn by hand. And now you want to repaint the exterior — maybe update the palette, maybe just freshen what's there. Then someone mentions the words "historic designation" and suddenly you're not sure if you need city approval, state sign-off, a preservation consultant, or all three.
Here's the honest answer: it depends on what kind of historic status your home actually has. And the distinction matters enormously, because the requirements vary from "do whatever you want" to "submit for approval before you buy a drop of paint."
Let's sort it out.
What Type of Historic Designation Does Your Home Have?
This is the question most people don't think to ask. "Historic home" gets used loosely — sometimes it just means old, sometimes it means genuinely regulated. There are three distinct categories in Illinois, and they carry very different rules.
National Register of Historic Places only. Listing in the National Register places no federal restrictions or requirements on a private property owner. Read that again. If your home is on the National Register and you're using your own money to repaint it, you don't need anyone's approval. Under federal law, the listing of a property in the National Register places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do with their property — up to and including destruction — unless the property is involved in a project that receives federal assistance, usually funding or licensing/permitting. The National Register is largely an honorific designation — it signals significance, but it doesn't control your paint color.
Local landmark designation. This is where real oversight kicks in. Only future alterations to the property (generally exterior) may require review by the local historic preservation commission. Each municipality runs this differently. Evanston, for instance, has over 850 registered individual Local Landmarks, and exterior changes to those properties go through the city's Preservation Commission. You may need to apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness if your project or property is located within a local historic district or is designated as a local landmark.
Local historic district. Similar to individual landmark rules, but your neighbors are in the same boat. Many municipalities and historic districts require homeowners to submit color choices for approval before work begins. This is the scenario most likely to involve a formal color palette review.
The Certificate of Appropriateness: What It Is and When You Need It
A Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) is a local government document that says your proposed exterior change is consistent with your home's historic character. It's not unique to Illinois — it's a tool used by preservation commissions across the country — but the process looks different in every municipality.
In general, if your home is a locally designated landmark or sits in a locally designated historic district, you'll need a COA before painting the exterior. That application typically includes your proposed color scheme, sometimes the specific paint products you plan to use, and occasionally sheen specifications. Historic house painting restrictions vary by jurisdiction but generally aim to preserve the visual integrity of heritage districts. These rules may limit the number of colors used, dictate sheen levels, or prohibit certain synthetic finishes. Some commissions maintain pre-approved color palettes — often drawn from historically accurate collections offered by manufacturers like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams.
On the North Shore, each village has its own process. Kenilworth has the most rigorous process at 6–12 weeks with mandatory architectural review. Winnetka falls in the middle, with design review for landmark homes at 4–8 weeks. Wilmette runs 3–5 weeks for standard permits.
Skipping that call to your village is one of the more expensive paint mistakes we see — not because fines are always the outcome, but because you may end up repainting. That's a real cost.
What About the Illinois SHPO?
The Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, manages the National Register program for Illinois. The SHPO's role for private homeowners is mainly about financial incentives, not restrictions.
If you want to use a state or federal rehabilitation tax incentive — and Illinois offers meaningful ones — future alterations (exterior and interior) will be reviewed by the Illinois SHPO if an owner chooses to utilize a financial rehabilitation incentive or if an owner is using federal or state funds/permitting to alter the property. In other words: the moment state money enters the picture, the standards tighten.
Illinois has a Property Tax Assessment Freeze program worth knowing about. The Historic Residence Assessment Freeze Law establishes the state property tax assessment freeze for residential, owner-occupied properties that meet preservation and expenditure requirements. Painting counts as a qualifying expenditure. Eligible costs can include new roofs, repointing, historic window repair, wood refinishing, painting, drywall, electrical and mechanical systems upgrades, and architectural fees. But if you're going this route, the work must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation — which means your paint job needs to be appropriate to the home's character, properly documented, and approved by IL SHPO before work begins.
Owners are strongly advised to contact the IL SHPO prior to any construction or demolition. Any work undertaken prior to approval is completely at the owner's risk and could disqualify a project for the tax credit if it does not meet the Standards.
Local Rules Have the Real Teeth
For most North Shore homeowners, the governing layer is municipal — not federal, not state. The Preservation of Historical and Other Special Areas (65 ILCS 5/11-48.2) is the section of the Illinois Municipal Code that enables municipalities to establish preservation laws. That's the enabling statute that lets Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, and every other village build their own local preservation frameworks.
The practical result: there's no single statewide rulebook for historic home painting. What you need to do in Highland Park is different from what you need to do in Lake Forest, which is different from what applies in an unincorporated stretch of Barrington Hills. You have to check with your specific municipality.
The fastest way to find out where you stand: call your village's building department and ask two questions. First, is my property a locally designated landmark or within a locally designated historic district? Second, if so, what's the process for exterior paint approval? Most North Shore building departments can answer that in one call.
Homeowners in Kenilworth: A Special Case
Homeowners in Kenilworth face some of the most nuanced decisions here, and not just because of formal landmark rules. Kenilworth is Illinois' most exclusive village — a planned community founded in 1889 with fewer than 1,000 homes within its 0.6 square miles. Joseph Sears' vision for an ideal village included large lots, underground utilities, no alleys or fences, and the highest construction standards.
Kenilworth boasts the largest collection of buildings by George W. Maher, who designed approximately 37 homes in the village. A contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, Maher's work defines much of Kenilworth's character. These aren't just old houses — they're architecturally significant properties where color choices genuinely matter to the streetscape.
Even for homes that aren't formally landmarked, Kenilworth's planned community character means color choices and exterior modifications should harmonize with the established streetscape. And practically speaking, Kenilworth's review process is among the most deliberate on the North Shore — plan for that 6–12 week window if your project requires architectural review.
Lead Paint: The Requirement That Applies to Almost Every Historic Home
This one trips people up. Whatever your landmark status, if your home was built before 1978, federal law governs how paint disturbance is handled — period.
Many historic homes built before 1978 contain lead-based paint. When undertaking exterior painting, lead-safe practices are not just a recommendation — they're a legal requirement under the EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule. Certified contractors use specialized containment, removal, and disposal methods to prevent lead dust contamination, including wet sanding, HEPA vacuuming, and using encapsulating primers.
If you're hiring a painter for a pre-1978 home on the North Shore, ask specifically whether they hold EPA RRP certification. Every crew we send to an older home carries it. This isn't an upsell — it's a legal requirement, and the contractor who doesn't mention it is the one to be cautious about.
A Decision Framework: Does Your Home Need Approval?
Here's how we think through it when a client calls us about an older home:
| Your Home's Status | Exterior Paint Requires Approval? | IL SHPO Involved? |
|---|---|---|
| National Register only, private funds | No | No |
| National Register + using tax incentives/state funds | Yes | Yes |
| Locally designated landmark | Yes — local commission COA | Only if using incentives |
| Within a local historic district | Yes — local commission COA | Only if using incentives |
| Old/historic-looking, no formal designation | No formal approval needed | No |
| Pre-1978 (any category) | EPA RRP rules apply regardless | No |
The table above is a working framework, not legal advice. Municipal rules vary enough that you should always verify with your specific village before scheduling work.
Getting the Paint Right Once You Have Approval
Once you've navigated the approval process, the job still has to be done right — and historic homes have real physical challenges that go beyond color selection.
The freeze-thaw cycle Chicago runs through every winter is brutal on paint film. We regularly see delamination on older homes where latex was applied directly over intact oil-based coatings — that combination fails within two to three seasons, especially on north-facing siding that never fully dries in fall. On pre-1940 homes with original wood siding, we typically spot-prime with Zinsser Cover Stain before any topcoat goes on, because oil-based primer still bonds better to old, weathered substrates and it seals tannin bleed that water-based primers can let through.
Choosing the Right Products for Historic Exteriors
For the topcoat on historically sensitive homes, Sherwin-Williams Emerald Exterior and Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior are our go-to products — both hold up to the humidity swings off Lake Michigan and have color-lock formulas that prevent fading on historically saturated palettes. Both are available at any Sherwin-Williams location on the North Shore or at JC Licht dealers throughout the area.
For context on what to expect from a quality paint job on an older home, see our breakdown of how long exterior paint lasts in Chicago — on a well-prepped historic home, a premium product applied by someone who knows what they're doing should give you 8–12 years before it needs attention again.
Color Selection for Historically Sensitive Homes
Color selection matters too. Most local preservation commissions want to see historically appropriate palettes — that doesn't mean beige and white, but it does mean colors with historical precedent for the style and period. A Maher-designed home from 1905 probably doesn't want a color pulled from a 2024 trend forecast. If you want more on current approaches that still honor older homes, our 2025 color trends guide covers what's landing well on North Shore properties right now.
Once you've cleared the approvals and are thinking through products, which paint brands actually hold up through Chicago winters is worth a read — especially if you're comparing options for a high-exposure surface.
The Bottom Line
Most homeowners with old homes in Illinois — including many on the North Shore — can repaint their exterior without any formal approval. The rules kick in when there's a local landmark designation, a local historic district, or a state/federal financial incentive in play. Know which bucket your home is in before you pick colors or hire anyone.
For Realtors and inspectors reading this: the distinction between National Register listing and local landmark designation is the one that matters most at the transaction level. National Register status alone doesn't restrict what a buyer can do with the exterior. Local designation does — and buyers should ask that question specifically before closing on an architecturally significant property in a North Shore village.
Not sure where your home falls or how to approach an exterior project on an older, architecturally significant property? Z&Z Painting works with historic homes across the North Shore regularly — we know the local approval processes, we carry EPA RRP certification, and we'll give you a straight answer about what your specific home needs before any paint touches a brush. Get a free estimate or call us at (630) 802-4302 and let's talk through it.