FAQs

A certificate of appropriateness allows modifications to be made to the exterior of buildings and properties located in the Main Street Historic District, which is located in downtown Platteville, and to individual properties that have been locally designated. 

Only the following nonprofit organizations may receive a temporary alcohol beverage license (sec. 125.26(6), Wis. Stats.):
•bona fide clubs, whether incorporated or not, which own, lease, or occupy a building or portion thereof used exclusively for club purposes, which is operated solely for a recreational, fraternal, social, patriotic, political, benevolent or athletic purpose but not for pecuniary gain and which only sells alcohol beverages incidental to its operation
•local chambers of commerce organized under ch. 181, Wis. Stats. or a similar civic or trade organization organized under ch. 181, Wis. Stats., to promote economic growth and opportunity within a local geographical area
•state, county, or local fair associations or agricultural societies
•churches, lodges or societies that have been in existence for at least 6 months before the date of application
•posts of veterans organizations

City tax assessors are state certified individuals whose duties are to discover, list, and value all taxable real property in the municipality in a uniform and equitable manner. In performing these duties, assessors are required to follow state law, case law, and the Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual. The property values determined by the assessor are then used to calculate the amount of property taxes to be paid. The assessor is not involved in the collection of property taxes. 

Picnics and similar gatherings of limited duration are the types of events that may qualify to use a temporary alcohol beverage license (sec. 125.26(6), Wis. Stats.). Some examples of events where a temporary alcohol beverage license may be required include fundraisers, meetings of the post, picnics open to the public, fair booths, wine or beer walks, festivals, and more.

For information on becoming a poll worker click here. If you are interested in becoming an election inspector/poll worker click here to fill out and application or contact the City Clerk at 348-9741 x6 for more information.

To receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from the City of Platteville Historic Preservation Commission, it is necessary for the applicant to complete an application form and return it with a copy of the plans, drawings, specifications, or other information necessary to fully describe the proposed project.  In general, documentation submitted with the application is non-returnable, with the exception of historic photographs, etchings, lithographs, original blueprints and drawings, or other special materials.  Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness shall be made to the Zoning Coordinator on forms furnished by the City.  The following information should be provided:

1. Name and Address of Property and Property Owner
   Provide the name given to the property when it was designated if you know it.  Give the full address of the property.  If located in a local historic district, give the name by which the district was designated.  Provide the name, address, and telephone number of the property owner.  If there are multiple owners of real interest, include all parties using a separate sheet of paper if necessary.  Provide the name, address, and telephone number of the applicant if different from the owner.
2. Attachments
   Provide a copy of the plans, renderings, drawings, and written specifications of the requested alterations.  To supplement your application, you may also wish to submit photographs, slides, material samples, site plans, sketches, historical documentation, or anything else that will illustrate to the Commission and staff the effect of the proposed change.
3. Description of Project
   Describe in detail the proposed work and how it will impact the existing building, building features, and property.  Provide as much information as necessary to describe the proposed work and cover all aspects of the project.  If more space is needed, continue on a separate page.

The Historic Preservation Commission shall hold a meeting to review each application, and shall make a decision to approve, disapprove, or further conditionally approve the application.  The Historic Preservation Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays after Council meetings, which are on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the mont. The application deadline for appearing on the meeting agenda is ten (10) working days prior to the meeting date.

The Building Inspector or Community Planning & Development Director, as designees of the Commission, may issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the following types of work to historic structures without Commission approval.  When reviewing the projects listed below, the designees shall use the Standards for Rehabilitation & Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings as a guide to determine appropriate methods and materials to complete the work.  Any time there is a question regarding interpretation of this policy, or interpretation of the standards and guidelines, the proposed work shall be submitted to the Commission for approval.

Exterior Masonry:

1. Cleaning of masonry according to approved methods.
2. Repointing mortar joints using mortar that is similar to the original in strength, composition, color, texture and hardness.  The width and profile of the mortar joints are maintained.
3. Limited replacement of bricks or other masonry features if the same kind of material, or a compatible material, is used.
4. Repainting of historically painted surfaces.
5. Brick shall not be painted or coated with other materials such as stucco when such masonry has historically been unpainted or uncoated.
6. Replacement of veneer concrete foundation coating with veneer stone.
7. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to masonry.
8. Concrete shall not be used as a substitute for mortar in rock foundations.

Building Exterior-Wood:

1. Retain and preserve wood features that are important to the historic character of the building.
2. Materials used in exterior repairs shall duplicate original wood in texture and appearance.
3. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to wood.

Building Exterior-Metal:

1. Retain and preserve metal features that are important to the historic character of the building.
2. Cleaning of metal surfaces according to approved methods.
3. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to metal.

Building Exterior-Roofs:

1. Re-roofing that maintains or restores the historic character of the building’s roof.
2. Re-roofing that does not change roof shape, or remove or cover any decorative features of the roof or cover any portions of the building facade.
3. Chimneys not visible from the street or other public use area may be removed.  Metal chimneys are prohibited.
4. Use the appropriate roofing material, such as slate, wood, clay tile or metal, according to the original historic character of the building.
5. Re-roofing may be done with asphalt, fiberglass or other rectangular composition shingles similar in appearance to 3-in-l-tab asphalt shingles when such materials do not affect the historic character of the building.
6. Re-roofing that does not involve the addition of features such as air conditioning, skylights, decks, terraces, dormers, solar collectors or other items readily visible.
7. Rubberized membranes, rolled roofing, tar-and-gravel, and other similar roofing materials may be used on flat or slightly sloped roofs.

Building Exterior-Windows:

1. Use methods acceptable for rehabilitation of existing historic windows.
2. Repairs to existing historic window frames, sashes and surrounding trim, such as caulking, weatherstripping, patching and splicing, reglazing, and replacement of broken glass.
3. Replacement windows that fill the masonry or rough-framed opening and the features of the new window match those originally installed in the building. Replacement windows of aluminum-clad wood or vinyl-clad wood are allowed.  Vinyl windows shall be approved by the Commission.
4. If the window is being proposed as a replacement for a non-original window, then the appropriate style for the window shall be based on the style on other original windows on the building, or on historic photos of the building, if available.  When neither of these options are available for comparison, the replacement window should be based on the style of original windows used in other similar buildings in Platteville.
5. The addition of storm windows where none existed originally is allowed as part of a replacement window unit.  Storm windows must be painted or stained. Raw aluminum shall be approved by the Commission.

Building Exterior-Entrances and Porches:

1. Rehabilitation of entrances and porches using acceptable methods that maintain or restore original features.
2. Storm door designs of wood and glass to match the original design on the building are encouraged.  Storm doors of simple design with no stylistic reference may also be used.  Storm doors with metal grills may be approved if they blend with the style of the building.
3. Storm doors must be painted or stained.  Raw aluminum shall be approved by the Commission. 

Building Site:

1. Use approved methods to prevent water damage to rock foundation walls.  Examples are the maintenance or addition of gutters and downspouts, installation of drain tile along the building foundation and providing adequate site drainage.
2. Rehabilitation of features that are not missing such as walks, paths, roads, driveways and parking areas.

Re-siding:

Re-siding that replaces or covers clapboards or non-original siding on historic buildings originally sided with clapboards is allowed provided that the new siding imitates the width of the original clapboard siding to within one (1) inch and that all architectural details including, but not limited to, window trim, wood cornices, and ornament either remain uncovered or are duplicated exactly in appearance.  If more than one layer of siding exists on the building, all layers except the first must be removed before the new siding is applied.  If insulation is applied under the new siding, all trim must be built up so that it projects from the new siding to the same extent it did with the original siding.

Painting:

Painting a building or a building component does not require approval or the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness, unless the request is to paint a building or portion of a building that has never previously been painted.  For example, a request to paint a brick building that has never previously been painted requires approval of the Commission and the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness.

General Repair and Replacement:

Repairs to, or limited replacement of, building materials and building components if the work uses the same materials, or compatible substitute materials, and provided that the work does not substantially change the exterior appearance of the structure or site.

An organization that holds a temporary alcohol beverage license may sell, serve, and allow consumption of wine and/or beer at an event hosted by the organization on the premises approved by the municipal governing body. Organizations may host gatherings requiring an entrance fee to the event that includes service of alcohol beverages or may charge for the beer or wine by the glass. A chamber of commerce or similar trade organization may hold up to 20 temporary alcohol beverage licenses for purposes of organizing a wine or beer walk. Temporary alcohol beverage licenses do not authorize consumption or sale of distilled spirits. See Publication 309, Retail Alcohol Beverage Licensing Guide for Municipalities, and Publication 302, Information for Wisconsin Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco Retailers, for more details.

Any profit from the sale of alcohol should substantially benefit the applicant organization.

Beer or Wine must be purchased from a Wisconsin permitted wholesaler (list of these can be found on this page or on the DOR website)

All polling locations open at 7 AM and close at 8 PM on Election Day.  If you have any questions about your polling location, you can click here, to see your district or contact the City Clerk at 348-9741 x6.

MyVote WI also has information at https://MyVote.WI.gov.

The best evidence of value is the recent sales price of your property. The next best evidence is the arm's-length sales of reasonably comparable properties.  These are properties similar to yours in location, age, style, condition, and other features that affect market value, such as the number of bathrooms, bedrooms, and size of the garage. More information can be found in the 2022 Guide for Property Owners located at the bottom of this page.