Learn about your home and neighborhood.
Download a list of the Library’s recommended resources for Researching the History of your Home or Property
Download the Whatcom Museum’s guide to Tracing the History of a House or Building in Bellingham
View a partial index of articles about homes in the Bellingham Herald’s “Beautiful Home Series”, October 27, 1906 – November 16, 1907:
City IQ Online Map Viewer – City of Bellingham
Search for Bellingham property information and create custom maps which include photos, property boundaries, location of utility services and more.
Skagit County Assessor
Property tax history in Skagit County
Whatcom County Assessor
Property tax history in Whatcom County
Whatcom County Public Works’ resource page provides access to a wide range of resources including videos of public information sessions.
Whatcom County also provides a Water Adjudication Guidance page with graphics on the process and access to forms.
On May 1, 2024, the Washington State Department of Ecology filed a water rights adjudication with the Whatcom County Superior Court. This water adjudication covers all of Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 1 Nooksack Basin, including the entire Nooksack River watershed as well as nearby Bellingham Bay, Birch Bay, Chuckanut, Drayton Harbor, Lake Whatcom, Lummi Bay, Point Roberts, and Sumas River watersheds, which comprise the majority of incorporated and unincorporated Whatcom County. A water rights adjudication is a legal process to quantify and prioritize water use, with highest priority given to the oldest, continuous water use (RCW 90.03). The Department of Ecology will notify all water users involved by certified mail later in the summer of 2024. Within one year of receiving mailed notice, these water users will need to file an adjudication court claim to describe their water use. Afterwards, the court will inventory all legal water rights in order.