How to use the microfiche to look at historical property records

If you’ve ever tried to use an online database to look for permits applied for or issued for your property and come up with zilch, there’s a good chance that your records do exist but were not digitized.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s, most cities, counties and agencies transitioned their paper records to a microfiche format. Microfilm became the popular method to reformat records to save space in a cost-effective method. Why? It’s stable, durable and if stored correctly can last hundreds of years.

Microfiche records are essentially a mini file: an exact replica of a paper document shrunken down to the size of your fingernail, and splayed across a glass slide. This flat, transparent sheet of film in the glass is a grid of small photographic images of document pages.

It’s not uncommon that I come across projects with old buildings and structures where the planners (and I) can’t locate a copy of the file in a digital system. So, off to the microfiche reader I go!

At most jurisdictions, you can submit an application on the website, schedule a time to come in and use the microfiche reader, or even walk-in anytime to use this service depending on your city or county. The permit technician will set you up with the glass slides and show you how to use the machine. The microfiche reader uses a light and a magnifying lens to project the images onto a computer screen where you can print the pages off, adjust the contrast, and read the text.

I recently went to the City of Bellingham to research a local church. The church was built in the ‘70s, and there were about 7 slides of documents and building plans. I knew exactly what I was looking for, so I was able to skim the content quickly until I found what I needed without going through all of the slides. But this research can take a bit of time depending on your goals.

If you can’t find something that you believe the City or County should have a record of, it’s always worth doing a little microfiche digging. You may even have (a little bit of) fun!