Under FAA regulations (specifically 14 CFR Part 43 and Part 91), every time maintenance is performed on an aircraft, a permanent record must be created. For "Routine" work, the record must include a description of the work performed, the date of completion, the name of the person who performed the work, and their signature and certificate number. For more significant items, the owner/operator must maintain the current status of life-limited parts, the time since the last overhaul, and the current status of all Airworthiness Directives (ADs), including the method of compliance. Major alterations or repairs require an additional FAA Form 337. These records are divided into "Temporary" (kept for one year or until the work is repeated) and "Permanent" (kept and transferred with the aircraft upon sale). In 2026, the industry is rapidly moving toward Digital Maintenance Records (DMR), which use blockchain-like verification to ensure that the logbooks cannot be tampered with, preserving the aircraft's safety pedigree and its resale value.