Technical Support

In the United States, professional preservation is guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, a document that outlines four categories of preservation work. In the strictest sense, preservation refers to actions that maintain or repair the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Restoration is the process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared during a particular period, which can involve removing non-historic features or adding historic elements that are missing. Rehabilitation entails making alterations or additions to an historic property while preserving features that convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values. The adaptive reuse of a building is a form of rehabilitation. A less commonly utilized treatment is reconstruction, which uses a new building to represent a non-surviving historic property at a specific period of time in its historic location. For more information about the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, visit this National Park Service webpage. 

Every historic property is unique, and PSABC is committed to finding thoughtful, creative solutions to preservation challenges in our community. We also know that research, designation, education, and advocacy projects play a vital role in preserving Asheville and Buncombe County’s built environment. Give us a call to discuss ways to preserve your historic property!

In Asheville and Buncombe County, buildings can be designated historic at the federal and state level or at the local level. PSABC offers free technical support to anyone who owns a property aged fifty years or older in Buncombe County, regardless of historic designation status!

Administered by the National Park Service, the National Register of Historic Places is the country’s official list of properties possessing historic, architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance. In order to be listed, a property must meet criteria related to age, significance, and integrity. A property can be listed as an individual resource or as contributing to an historic district. The listing of a property in the National Register does not protect a building from demolition or alteration and places no restrictions on a private owner using private resources to maintain or alter the property. If federal funding or licensing is used in work on the property, or if the owner wishes to utilize a benefit that comes from National Register designation such as a tax credit, the property owner must follow federal preservation standards. The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office (NC HPO) oversees the National Register program in the state. You can use the NC HPO map to determine if your property is listed in the National Register, or visit their website to learn more about the program!

Local Historic Districts and Local Historic Landmarks are designated by Asheville and Buncombe County’s Historic Resources Commission. Proposals for work undertaken at properties that are located within one of the county’s four Local Historic Districts or designated as Local Historic Landmarks must first be reviewed and approved by the Historic Resources Commission. To determine whether your property is located within a Local Historic District, use the Historic Districts and Landmarks layer on the City of Asheville map or check out the NC HPO map. To learn more about local preservation regulations, visit the City’s historic preservation webpage.

PSABC staff can conduct a site visit to your property to offer recommendations for the maintenance, repair, or replacement of historic materials. We can help property owners prioritize their building’s preservation needs or navigate state and local regulations. We also provide consultation for projects seeking to sensitively modify or adapt an historic property!

Reach out with a description of the project and PSABC will be happy to provide contractor recommendations!

As a local preservation non-profit, PSABC does not have the ability to regulate the work you do on your property, and our advice comes with no strings attached—you can take it or leave it! PSABC can only regulate changes to properties on which we hold preservation easements. For a list of buildings we permanently protect using preservation easements, check out our Easement Properties webpage. 

PSABC runs a Preservation Grant Program that supports physical preservation work, public education programming, and planning and designation projects. Grants range from $500 to $5,000 and are offered in fall and spring rounds each year. See our Preservation Grants webpage for details!

There are federal and state income tax credits that support owners of historic properties working to rehabilitate their residential or commercial buildings. The programs allow property owners to claim a tax credit equal to a percentage of the rehabilitation project’s cost. Through North Carolina state tax credit programs, homeowners may receive a 15% state tax credit for the qualified rehabilitation of owner-occupied residential properties or a 15-25% state tax credit for the qualified rehabilitation of income-producing properties. Owners may also claim an additional 20% federal tax credit for the qualified rehabilitation of income-producing properties. These programs are administered by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) in partnership with the National Park Service. In order to determine if your property is eligible, you’ll want to see if it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places—either individually or as a contributing building within an historic district. Inclusion on the National Register is the first step in qualifying for historic rehabilitation tax credits. The two other factors that determine whether your property is a candidate are the cost of the rehabilitation project and the appropriateness of the work performed. For more information about historic rehabilitation tax credits or other incentives available at the state and federal levels, visit www.hpo.nc.gov. 

PSABC does not have the tools to facilitate property research in-office, but staff are happy to answer questions or offer recommendations. Buncombe County Special Collections hosts many resources that support researchers interested in uncovering the history of their property. Visit specialcollections.buncombenc.gov/resources/ to get started!

In the state of North Carolina, the only way to permanently protect a historic property is with a preservation easement. A preservation easement is a legal agreement between a property owner and a qualified preservation organization such as PSABC that restricts the development of or changes to a privately owned property. An easement is written in deed form and filed with the county register of deeds. It affects each succeeding owner just as it does the original grantor. Both the property owner and PSABC have responsibilities that are specified in the agreement. The owner is responsible for protecting the property’s historic integrity by not making alterations or additions without PSABC’s approval and by maintaining the property in a satisfactory condition. PSABC is responsible for enforcing the conditions of the easement by monitoring the property and communicating with the property owner.

PSABC accepts easements on properties regardless of historic designation status, but there are tax benefits associated with the donation of an easement on a National Register-listed property. For more information, visit our Easements webpage or reach out!