Records management services are extended to all agencies and
departments in North Carolina state government. Working with the
agency's Chief Records Officer, a
Records Management Analyst
is assigned to each agency or department to give guidance to agencies on the
full range of records management issues and services.
Please Note: It is the responsibility of each state agency to
keep its records retention and disposition schedule up to date and to notify
the Government Records Branch of any changes affecting its schedule.
Records may be destroyed only on the basis of both the program records
schedule developed for your office and the General Schedule for State Agency
Records is available in this PDF version or in a Word Document version. The consistent and routine implementation of the disposition
instructions listed in these schedules provides the proper and legal foundation
for the disposition of public records through destruction or transfer to the
State Records Center.
The records generated by independent boards and commissions are governed by North Carolina Public Records Laws. For assistance with records retention issues contact Al Hargrove at (919) 807-7368.
Depending on the creating agency's program Records Schedule, records are transferred to the SRC for storage in either paper, microfilm/microfiche, or occasionally as some form of magnetic media. The SRC provides records storage and reference services to state agencies, boards, and commissions. In certain cases, records are stored for counties, municipalities, and state-supported colleges and universities. Records transferred for storage in the SRC remain in the legal, official custody of the creating agency. Access to stored records is restricted to the creating agency's staff. Persons other than an agency's staff must contact the appropriate agency and receive written permission prior to using records in the SRC. The SRC will not accept for storage any unscheduled or unidentified records. Likewise, if the agency's program Records Schedule does not instruct the agency to transfer the records in question, the SRC will not accept the records, and no records covered by the General Schedule will be accepted for transfer and storage.
Any records transferred to the SRC must be in approved storage boxes and clearly identified with specific, preprinted labels as provided by the SRC. The SRC must also have a completed, signed Records Transfer Request Form for each transfer. There is a nominal charge for boxes and supplies (box tape and labels), most xerographic copies, and paper-based records destruction (billed by vendor). Currently there is no charge for all other agency services (storage; reference; file retrieval, re-filing, and inter-filing; and transportation of records transfers and supplies within Raleigh city limits).
Due to budgetary and staff limitations, the SRC does not deliver supplies or pick up records outside the Raleigh city limits. Out-of-town agencies must arrange to pick up their boxing supplies and make arrangements to deliver their records transfers. The SRC is not able to mail flattened boxes, but labels and forms can be sent by mail to out-of-town agencies. For agencies within the Raleigh city limits, the SRC no longer mails files being retrieved and checked out to the agency (effective October 13, 2003). All in-town agencies' staff must pick up the requested files in person.
The General Schedule for State Agency Records is available in this PDF version or in a Word Document version.
The consistent and routine implementation of the disposition instructions
listed in these schedules provides the proper and legal foundation for the
disposition of public records through destruction or transfer to the State
Records Center. Your program records disposition schedule lists those
program-specific records maintained in your office as reported to the Division
of Historical Resources. It lists only those records that are unique to your
office, whether they are to be destroyed in your office or transferred to the
State Records Center. The General Schedule addresses records commonly found
in agencies throughout state government, provides uniform descriptions and
disposition instructions, and indicates minimum retention periods.
NOTE: As of July 1, 2001, there are charges
for supplies for transferring records to the State Records Center. The General Schedule was issued prior to this change, and includes a statement that supplies are provided at no charge. This is no longer the case.