What are the heritage district rules for exterior stucco changes in the Glebe?

The Glebe is one of Ottawa's most established Heritage Conservation Districts (HCD), and if your home falls within its boundaries, you'll need to navigate some specific rules before changing your stucco exterior. Here's what you need to know as a homeowner planning stucco work.

Heritage Approval for Stucco Work in the Glebe

The Glebe was designated as a Heritage Conservation District under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. This means any alteration to the exterior appearance of a building — including changes to stucco finish, colour, or texture — requires a Heritage Permit from the City of Ottawa's Heritage Planning branch. This is separate from (and in addition to) any building permit requirements.

What requires heritage approval:

• Changing stucco colour (even repainting existing stucco a different colour)- Changing stucco texture (e.g., going from rough dash to smooth trowel)- Removing stucco to expose another material underneath- Applying stucco over a currently non-stuccoed surface- Adding or modifying EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System)

What typically does NOT require heritage approval:

• Repairing existing stucco with matching material, colour, and texture (like-for-like repair)- Routine maintenance such as cleaning or sealing- Repainting stucco in the same colour

The key principle is like-for-like. If you're restoring your stucco to its current appearance, you generally don't need approval. The moment you change the appearance — even subtly — the heritage rules apply.

The approval process:

• Submit a Heritage Permit Application to the City's Heritage Planning team with photos of existing conditions, a description of proposed changes, material samples, and colour chips.- For minor changes (colour, minor texture change), staff may approve it administratively — this takes about 2 to 4 weeks.- For more significant alterations, the application goes to the Built Heritage Committee, which meets monthly. Expect 6 to 10 weeks for this process.- There is no fee for a heritage permit application in Ottawa.

The Glebe HCD Plan has specific design guidelines that favour maintaining original materials and finishes. If your home was historically stuccoed, the committee will generally support well-done stucco restoration. If your home was originally brick and was stuccoed later (common in the 1960s-70s), the committee may actually encourage you to remove the stucco and restore the original brick — though they cannot force you to do so.

Practically speaking, most stucco resurfacing projects in the Glebe sail through approval as long as you keep the colour and texture in character with the neighbourhood. Earth tones, warm greys, and muted period-appropriate colours are almost always approved. Bold or contemporary colours may face pushback.

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