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MUNICIPAL RECORDS SCHEDULE
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION PROCEDURES
A revised retention and disposition schedule for Pennsylvania's municipalities was issued
by the Local Government Records Committee in 1993. The schedule, which was printed in
the Pennsylvania Bulletin (12 Pa. B 1051 and 12 Pa. B 1860) and advertised in various
municipal association newsletters, contains specific retention guidelines for various records and
explains what steps must be taken to legally dispose of records. Implementation of the schedule
should result in considerable savings in storage costs. Records of temporary value should be
destroyed once they have become useless, and the schedule makes provision for such
destruction. At the same time, the schedule insures the retention of records of permanent value
by clearly identifying such records.
In approaching this schedule, remember that it merely provides guidelines and a legal
means for the destruction of records; it does not require a municipality to dispose of its records at
the end of the recommended retention period.
If a municipality wishes to implement the schedule and legally dispose of its
records, the Municipal Records Act requires that the following steps be taken:
1. A municipality must declare its intent to follow the schedule by municipal
ordinance or resolution. (This is basically a one time requirement. However, if the
schedule is revised or updated, the municipality should go on record again by
ordinance or resolution and specifically identify the new schedule so there is no
confusion about which retention periods to follow.)
2. A municipality must approve each individual act of disposition by resolution of its
governing body. (The records custodian should identify the records he/she wants to
destroy and have the governing body of the municipality concur with each
individual request for destruction by means of a resolution. For example, if a
municipal official wants to destroy 10 boxes of canceled checks in accordance
with schedule guidelines, the governing body must give its approval. The same is
true if two years later he/she wants to destroy another 10 boxes of canceled
checks.)
When a municipality wishes to destroy non-permanent records listed on the schedule,
which have not been microfilmed, only Steps one and two must be followed. The
PHMC does not have to be notified of such action.
3. A municipality must receive written consent from the Pennsylvania Historical and
Museum Commission (PHMC) before destroying or transferring original records
which have been microfilmed, photographed or copied in some manner. (Under
present guidelines, there is only one instance when, besides following Steps one and
two, the municipality must obtain written consent from the PHMC before
destroying non-permanent records listed on the schedule, and that is when the
municipal official has photographed, microphotographed or microfilmed the records
and wishes to substitute the copy for the original.)
XV-77
Revised May 2006