FAQ

The General Statutes of North Carolina, Chapter 132, provides this definition of public records: "Public record" or "public records" shall mean all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data- processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions. Agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions shall mean and include every public office, public officer or official (State or local, elected or appointed), institution, board, commission, bureau, council, department, authority or other unit of government of the State or of any county, unit, special district or other political subdivision of government.

There may be federal or state statutes or regulations that designate a public record as confidential. While this record is still a “public record” according to the definition of N.C. Gen. Stat. 132, it is not accessible via a public records request.

See this Glossary entry. 

Retention schedules for local agencies can be found on the Local Government Agencies page. State agencies use the Functional Schedule. Schedules for Community Colleges and UNC System Institutions can be found on the Higher Education Institutions page. 

These retention schedules must be formally adopted by your agency before they can be used to authorize the destruction of public records.  

The Rules of Recordkeeping and Records Retention and Disposition Schedule promulgated by the NC Administrative Office of the Courts governs the retention and disposition of records in the offices of Clerks of Superior Court. 

N.C. Administrative Code, Title 7, Chapter 4, Subchapter M, Section .0510 

After you have signed and approved your records retention and disposition schedule, records that have met retention should be destroyed in one of the ways listed below, depending on the nature of the records:

Paper records should be destroyed in one of the following ways:

• burned, unless prohibited by local ordinance; 
• shredded or torn so as to destroy the record content of the documents or materials concerned;
• placed in acid vats so as to reduce the paper to pulp and to terminate the existence of the document or materials concerned; or
• sold as waste paper, provided that the purchaser agrees in writing that the documents or materials concerned will not be resold without pulverizing or shredding the documents so that the information contained within cannot be practicably read or reconstructed.

Electronic records should be destroyed in this way:

• the data and metadata are to be overwritten, deleted, and unlinked so the data and metadata may not be practicably reconstructed.

Confidential records or records containing confidential information, whether paper or electronic, should be destroyed in this way:

• the data, metadata, and physical media are to be destroyed in such a manner that the information cannot be read or reconstructed under any means.

A records destruction log is a record that documents when an agency’s records have been destroyed. Ideally, once a record is listed on the destructions log, no copies of that record remain in the agency (including paper and electronic records). Look under Forms and Templates for a sample destructions log. 

State agencies (as well as institutions of higher education) are required to maintain a records destruction log. Learn more about this on the G.S. 132 blog.

See this Glossary entry.

See this Glossary entry.

See this Glossary entry.

See this Glossary entry.

Having duplicate copies of essential records in a separate location mitigates the risk that you may lose the only physical copy of a given record in a disaster or other records loss event. Maintaining offsite duplicates of records, regardless of format, is a good practice to adopt.

There are a number of boxes your agency must check before being able to dispose of the paper copies of records that have been scanned. 

1. You first need to approve the current retention and disposition schedule applicable to your agency.
2. You need to get an electronic records policy approved by the State Archives.
3. You need to get specific authorization to destroy the paper records you have scanned. 

There are certain records that must be retained in paper format, even if they have been scanned. See Preservation Duplicates and Backup Files. 

For sample policies and the appropriate form for your agency, see:

• Electronic Records in Local Government Agencies
• Electronic Records in State Government Agencies
• Electronic Records in Universities and Community Colleges
   

For local agencies, see this G.S. 132 blog post.

For state agencies, see this G.S. 132 blog post.

Records management analysts are available to help. For general inquiries, email recordsmanagement@dncr.nc.gov. 

Local government employees can contact the analysts listed on the Records Analysts for Local Government Agencies page. 

State agency employees should contact the analyst assigned to your agency.

See Higher Education Institutions for the analyst assigned to work with UNC system institutions and community colleges.

For information about our offerings, see our Workshops and Webinars page. To register for upcoming workshops, visit our blog or the Upcoming Events page.

The State Archives is available to talk you through the first steps to take in the aftermath of a disaster that affects government records. Depending on the scale of the disaster, we may offer either on-site assistance or a list of disaster recovery vendors. If you require assistance or would like more information about these services, please contact the Essential Records Analyst, Kayla Leonard (252-639-3543).

In any disaster where government records are damaged, please report the damage to the State Archives. You must receive authorization from the State Archives before disposing of any damaged records that have not met retention. 

For more information about disaster preparedness, please see our Essential Records page.

Local health departments should mail disinterment/reinterment permits to:

Records Description Unit
Government Records Section
NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
4615 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4615

For transferring electronic disinterment/reinterment permits, see Digital File Transfer Forms and Instructions.

The following types of geospatial records have been designated as having archival value:

• Parcel data
• Street centerline data
• Corporate limits data
• Extraterritorial jurisdiction data
• Zoning data, address points
• Orthophotography (imagery)
• Utilities
• Emergency/E-911 themes

Consult your retention schedule for frequency of capture. The frequency of capture is based on the significance of the record as well as its alter-ability.

Archiving practices should be consistent with North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council (GICC) approved standards and recommendations.

See the Microfilming Records for Local Governments page. 

Chief Records Officers (CROs) represent the agency in records management concerns and are a main point of contact between the State Archives and state agencies regarding public records. See our directory of Chief Records Officers to find your CRO.

Information about how to store records temporarily at the State Records Center or transfer archival records to the State Archives can be found on the State Records Center page.

To transfer archival electronic records to the State Archives, see Digital File Transfer Forms and Instructions.

Learn about this on the G.S. 132 blog.

Learn about this on the G.S. 132 blog.

Learn about this on the G.S. 132 blog.

Learn about this on the G.S. 132 blog.

The State Archives can assist in assessing and transferring archival records pre-dating court reform in the mid-60s from the county to the Archives, with approval from the Administrative Office of Courts.

Our court records analyst, Flannery Fitch, can assist with records requests from the Clerks.

For pre-court reform records (mid 1960s and earlier), the Clerk of Court should contact Flannery Fitch, records analyst for the court systems (919-814-7066). Paralegals, law offices, and other private organizations or citizens should contact the Archives Public Services department at archives@dncr.nc.gov.

For post-court reform records (mid 1960s and later), Clerks should contact the Administrative Office of Courts at (919) 890-1000. Paralegals, law offices and other private organizations or citizens should contact their county’s Clerk of Court directly.

Please provide as much information as possible, including: county, case number, date, name of individual, and case type.