Request the issued historic approval by its exact document name, then match it to the related permit. A notice about a hearing or a drawing in a project folder can help identify the file, while the final document holds the actual decision.
Phoenix CNE, COA and demolition approval: name the right document
The City’s Historic Preservation FAQ distinguishes these outputs. Use the names below to describe the record you need; HPO decides which review your project requires.
| Historic document | What the City describes |
|---|---|
| Certificate of No Effect (CNE) | Minor work within guidelines; decided without a hearing. |
| Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) | More complex or street-visible work; a hearing. |
| Demolition Approval | Listed-property demolition referred to Historic Preservation. |
The FAQ describes a five-day appeal period after hearing approval and requires updated plans for stipulated approvals. Keep the issued document and conditions separately. A later construction or demolition permit is another record.
Identify the office as carefully as the document. The Historic Preservation Office is HPO. Phoenix zoning material may refer to a Planning Hearing Officer, or PHO. Reversing those initials can send an otherwise precise request toward a different proceeding. Copy the office and case reference from the document in hand.
Match a Phoenix historic approval to its plan version and permit
Imagine a fictional folder containing a hearing approval, a drawing labeled revised, and a subsequent permit number, with the issued certificate missing. The drawing might address a stipulation, or it might be a rejected version. Its filename leaves that open, and the permit number leaves open which drawing belonged with the historic decision.
Ask for the issued document, its conditions and the plan version associated with it. Compare the dates, case reference and scope on the supplied copies. If the drawing contains a revision date, retain it as a drawing date rather than silently converting it into an approval or issuance date. Preserve a discrepancy until the office identifies the missing connection.
For example, a decision could describe a porch while the permit copy you hold describes another phase. Place them side by side and treat the porch question as still open. Your next inquiry should name the unresolved relationship: which approved scope and plan revision belong to the permit you have? This produces a more answerable request than asking whether the entire property was approved.
Keep issuance, inspection and occupancy evidence separate as well. The permit-versus-occupancy guide explains what each of those records shows. An issued historic decision doesn’t prove inspection approval, occupancy approval or current property condition.
Search SHAPE PHX and Phoenix’s legacy demolition page
The SHAPE PHX page places these historic application classes in its April 27, 2026 release. That is a system-release date; earlier approvals sit in older records.
The demolition search page directs current HPO demolition reviews and residential demolition permits to SHAPE. Its legacy page has blank date controls and table headings;
A page that fails to load is an access problem. Even a usable result list may omit the particular attachment you need. Record whether you lack the case itself or just the issued document, and request that missing item explicitly.
Date ranges from a general permit index apply to that index only. A transition between systems is a reason to preserve the old identifier when you ask for a copy of an older file.
Send a request that identifies the missing decision
The City contact list names Historic Preservation (historic@phoenix.gov; 602-261-8699) and PDD Records (pdd.records@phoenix.gov; 602-262-7800).
- Give the property address and any district or landmark name already shown in your papers.
- Copy the application or case number exactly, together with its office and approximate year.
- Name the missing item: issued document, conditions, decision, associated plan version or later permit copy.
- Attach the reference you already have and explain the mismatch in one sentence; distinguish a missing file from an inaccessible page.
The Public Records page provides the formal City request route and describes an account or login for its Public Records Center.
If the address has changed, the address-lookup guide helps organize the known aliases before the inquiry. Keep an older address as a documented clue. Ask which office holds the named record when custody remains uncertain; a routing response points to the copy, which still needs its own request.
Phoenix Historic Preservation and PDD pages checked October 6, 2026.