Every historic home has a paper trail.
Understanding the records behind a historic property—and keeping them somewhere safe. Here’s a plain-language guide to the paperwork you’ll run into, and how 76UNBOXED helps you keep all of it in one place.
These are the records that show up again and again in a historic district. Here’s what each one is—and why it’s worth holding onto.
Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)
What it isThe approval you need before making changes visible from the street in a historic district—windows, siding, roofing, additions.
Why it mattersWork done without one can mean fines, or being asked to undo it. It’s the single most common document a district homeowner deals with.
Historic Designation Record
What it isThe National Register nomination or local landmark listing that explains why your property or district is historically significant.
Why it mattersIt defines what’s protected—and can be the key that unlocks grants and rehabilitation tax credits.
Design Guidelines
What it isYour community’s rulebook for appropriate materials, colors, and alterations within the district.
Why it mattersReading it before you start turns a slow, uncertain approval into a fast one. It tells you what’s likely to be approved before you apply.
Building Permits
What it isThe municipal record of work legally performed on the house—electrical, structural, roofing, and more.
Why it mattersBuyers, insurers, and appraisers all look for a clean permit history. Gaps raise questions that can stall a sale.
Deed & Chain of Title
What it isThe ownership history of the property, traced back through every transfer of the title.
Why it mattersIt’s the backbone of your home’s story—and it confirms exactly what you own, including easements and restrictions.
Rehabilitation Tax Credit Application
What it isThe federal and state paperwork (Parts 1–3) used to claim a share of qualified restoration costs back as a credit.
Why it mattersThoughtful restoration can pay you back—but only if the documentation is complete and filed in the right order.
The paperwork isn’t the hard part. Finding it is.
Deeds at the county office. Permits in an old email. Approvals in a filing cabinet, if you’re lucky. When it’s scattered, your home’s story is only as reliable as your memory.
One secure home for everything your house has to say.
The Owner’s Vault keeps every document tied to your property—deeds, permits, approvals, receipts, inspection reports, and photos—in one private, organized place. It builds a living timeline of everything that’s happened to your home, and everything you do to it. And when you sell, the Vault can travel to the next owner, so the story never starts over.
Everything in one place
Deeds, permits, approvals, and photos—organized and searchable, not scattered across offices and inboxes.
A timeline you can trust
See your home’s full history at a glance: what was done, when, and by whom.
Protect your value
A well-documented home is an easier home to insure, appraise, and sell.
It travels with the house
Hand the complete record to the next owner at closing—no starting from scratch.
Explore your district for free. Upgrade when you’re ready to keep your own records.
Free
- Interactive map & property profiles
- Community photos & historic timelines
- Browse public district history
- No login required to explore
76PRO
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Your private Owner’s Vault
- Document storage for your property
- Full property & maintenance timeline
- Transfer your records to the next owner
Owner’s Vault features and 76PRO pricing shown here are placeholders—confirm the final feature list and price with the product team before publishing.