Records Management in the Government of the District of Columbia: Retention Schedule Requirements

Requirements for Records Schedules

To assist agencies as they begin to develop or update records schedules the Office of Public Records has developed the following list of requirements so that all agencies understand what is needed to develop a records schedule that will be approved by the our office. 

 

1. The retention schedule must be complete, covering the entire agency, accurate, and clear – and result from the inventory of all records in agency custody

2. All retention schedules must be completed using ms word, editable  and in the designated format approved by the public records administrator

3. The retention schedule must make a clear determination whether each type or series of records inventoried has temporary or permanent value

4. All records designated as permanent must have sufficient value to justify their transfer to the dc archives

5. No records designated as having permanent value are scheduled for destruction

6. All retention periods for temporary records must be reasonable and justified

7.  the retention schedule must develop/formulate specific disposition instructions for each type/series of records

8. The retention schedule must identify and clearly describe each series of records and contain  readily applicable  disposition instructions

9. The retention schedule must be prepared so that each subordinate office will have standing instructions detailing the destruction, transfer, or retention of records in the custody of the agency

10. The retention schedule must specify for all temporary records a retention period of no more than five (5) years after creation, or five (5) years after the close of a transaction or case file, or five (5) years after an event; unless explicitly required by statute to retain the records for a longer period of time. Agency heads shall obtain written permission from the administrator to retain temporary records longer than five (years) for administrative purposes

11. Retention schedules shall describe records adequately to show the types of records, arrangement, content, and purpose of the series, finding aids and indexes, restrictions on access, and physical form if the records are nontextural items such as maps, photographs, microforms, sound recordings, computer tapes, digital or other nontextural records

12. The retention schedule must establish a clearly defined cutoff period/ date for permanent records after which they shall be offered to the dc archives, and for temporary records which will be transferred to the dc record center and eventually destroyed

13. The retention schedule must provide for the removal to the dc record center (or other depository approved by the public records administrator) of those temporary records not eligible for immediate destruction which are no longer needed for the conduct of current business. Such records shall be maintained by the depository until they are eligible for further disposition action

14. The retention schedule must provide for the destruction of records that have reached the end of their life cycle (served their statutory, fiscal, or administrative uses)

15. The retention schedule must provide for the minimum volume of current records in office space and equipment consistent with efficient operations