You Want to Put Your Home on the Register, Now What?
Perhaps you’ve just closed on your “new” historic home or inherited your childhood dwelling and you’re considering nominating it to the Hawai‘i State Register of Historic Places. Here are some useful tips and resources to help you on your way. How do I get started? Download Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s “Guide for Nominating Residences to the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places” at this link: https://historichawaii.org/resource-center-2/register-guide/ This comprehensive manual can walk you step-by-step through the process. Why List? Does your home tell a piece of the collective story of our history? Listing honors a residence by recognizing its importance to the community, State, or the Nation and by deeming it to be worthy of preservation. Everyone benefits from preserving our historic resources, which are an integral part of the familiar local landscapes of our island home. Recognizing this importance, the government offers certain tax incentives such as the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit. This federal program is applicable for income-producing residential homes certified as historic or listed on the Register. While owner-occupied residences are not eligible, historic properties, or a portion thereof, used as a source of rental income (for example as a Bed and Breakfast operation) would qualify. You can learn more here https://www.nps.gov/tps/tax-incentives.htm At the county level, Honolulu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i, offer tax relief for owners of residences listed on the Hawai‘i Register. These programs are similar in each County and offer a property tax exemption from real property taxation for homes listed on the Register. More information is available at https://historichawaii.org/resource-center-2/tax-info/ How do I know if my home is eligible? In deciding whether a residence should be placed on the Hawai‘i Register, state law requires that the Hawai‘i Historic Places Review [...]