Records Retention and Disposition

Records Management Services work with agencies to develop and update records retention schedules; research and develop policies on electronic records; aid in the inventory and appraisal of records for reorganization or disposition projects; and approve routine records disposal requests.

Records Management Services also maintains Artemis (Records Retention and Disposition Management System). Its purpose is to provide efficiencies across State, County and Municipal agencies in addressing many of the records management functions, processes, and services offered by the division in accordance with the
Destruction of Public Records Act, Chapter 410, PL 1953. It allows for County and Municipal governments to look up and download retention schedules, maintain information on certified systems, submit electronic records disposal requests, and other records management functions. read more

Records Retention

Records Management Services places all public records on Records Retention Schedules that list the minimum legal and fiscal time periods they must be retained by state and local governmental and educational agencies. Working with personnel from the records-creating agency, Records Management Services determines these retention periods in conformance with state and federal codes, regulations, and statutes of limitation. Final approval of the schedules comes from the State Records Committee, which is comprised of representatives of the Attorney General, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Director of Local Government Services, and the director of the division. read more on Retention Schedules

Records Series Inventory 309kb

Records Manuals

The division provides basic information on records management procedures for:

Local Records Manual 309kb

State Records Manual 209kb

These manuals were authored in 1986 and 1994 respectively, updated in 1998, and recently have become obsolete with the adoption of the revised N.J.A.C. 15:3. These manuals will eventually be combined into a single New Jersey Records Management Manual, but may still be utilized as a basic records management resource. The manuals discuss the following topics:

Records Disposal

Part and parcel to a good records management program is the timely destruction of records once their retention period has expired. This pertains to the destruction of paper records as well as those that are microfilmed, have been imaged, or are electronic.

As per the Destruction of Public Records Act of 1953 (P.L. 1953, c. 410), public agencies must receive prior written authorization to dispose of their public records regardless of the medium in which the information is maintained. The division routinely processes and authorizes the destruction of public records that appear on retention schedules approved by the State Records Committee.

Unique records disposal request (such as the disposal of fire damaged records which have not yet outlived their retention period) require specific authorization from the State Records Committee.

If you are a local government (county or municipality), please use ARTEMIS to file your records disposal.

If you are a state agency, state board/authority, state college/university, county college, or school district, please use the 4-part NCR form. If you need more forms, please send your request to Records Management Services, 2500 Stuyvesant Avenue, PO Box 661, Trenton, NJ 08625-0661.

 

Sample Request and Authorization for Records Disposal Form 284kb

Request and Authorization for Records Disposal Form Instructions 284kb

Destruction Certification 30kb

Electronic Records

UETA Guidance: Records Management Guidance for Agencies Implementing
Electronic Signature Technologies
Circular Letter 01-01-ST 248kb

Managing Electronic Mail: Guidelines & Best Practices
Circular Letter 03-01-ST 241kb

Records Storage

Records Management Service's Records Storage Center is a secure, centralized, low-cost facility for storing semi-active state agency records with retention periods of ten (10) years of less.

The facility currently stores 250,000 cubic feet of semi-active paper records for more than 200 state agencies and offices. Temperature- and humidity-controlled vaults are also available to accommodate an agency's needs for storage of computer tapes, optical disks, and microfilm master negatives.

Records housed at the State Records Storage Center are readily accessible to authorized agency representatives for reference or retrieval. Located in Ewing Township near Trenton, the State Records Storage Center is able to serve as part of state government's vital records protection program and is currently used by more than 250 state agencies and offices. Storage Center staff can advise state and local government agencies about the most appropriate storage of their inactive and semi-active records. The center is also able to arrange for the disposal of stored records when their retention periods expire.

Records Transfer Request Form 89kb

Records Transfer Instructions 45kb

Records Storage Box Packing Instructions 51kb

Microfilm Transfer Request Form 44kb

Microfilm Transfer Instructions 39kb

Electronic Media Request Form  73kb

Electronic Media Transfer Instructions 43kb

Records Storage Center Access Authorization Form 61kb

Reference Request Form 35kb

New Jersey records storage standards are found in the New Jersey Administrative Code 15:3:

Subchapter 6: Records Storage