Data Retention and Archiving

Construction documents must be retained for regulatory and insurance purposes long after the last nail is driven. BuildChart's retention policy is designed to meet these requirements so you can focus on building — not on managing file backups.

Retention Policy

All project data and files are retained for 7 years from project completion. This includes task data, attachments, daily logs, activity history, budget records, and completion photos. The 7-year period aligns with typical construction defect statute of limitations in most jurisdictions.

Three Archive Phases

After a project is marked complete, it moves through three phases:

1. Active — Current projects with full read and write access. All features work normally including real-time collaboration, task editing, and file uploads.
2. Warm Archive (0–12 months after completion) — Files stay in cloud storage with instant access. You can view, search, and download everything immediately. On the Pro tier, warm archive costs $1 per project per month. On Business tier, warm archive is included free.
3. Cold Archive (1–7 years after completion) — Files are moved to long-term storage for cost efficiency. All data remains accessible, but file retrieval takes 2–3 seconds instead of being instant. Project data (tasks, schedules, logs) loads normally — only file attachments have the brief retrieval delay.

What Happens at 7 Years

Ninety days before the 7-year retention period expires, BuildChart sends an automated email notification to the project owner. This gives you time to download a full archive before the data is permanently deleted. If you need longer retention for specific projects, contact support to extend the period.

Download All Files

At any time — during active use, warm archive, or cold archive — you can click "Download All Files" in project settings to get a complete ZIP archive of your project. The download includes:

• All task data and schedules (CSV format)
• File attachments and completion photos
• Daily log entries
• Activity history and audit trail
• Budget records and cost data

This is available on all plans and in all archive phases. We recommend downloading a full archive when a project is completed for your own off-platform records.

Business Tier Benefits

Business tier subscribers pay no archive fees. The warm archive phase is included at no extra cost for all completed projects. This makes the Business tier especially cost-effective for builders who complete many projects per year and want to retain easy access to recent project data without per-project charges.