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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. DARM 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.

Below you will find:

Sample form and a description of it, and
Instructions for completing the form

Or you can download the PDFs of these documents:

Request and Authorization for Records Disposal Form [PDF, 16Kb]
Instructions for Request and Authorization for Records Dispsoal Form [PDF, 23Kb]


(For local government records disposal)
Request and Authorization for Records Disposal Form
All records disposal requests must be submitted on a Request and Authorization for Records Disposal Form. This is a 4-part "NCR" form:
  • White - Division Copy (retained by DARM).
  • Yellow - Followup Copy sent back to originating agency (with the Pink & Goldenrod copies) after review by DARM staff;
    • Section 12 completed by originating agency;
    • sent back to DARM for final filing.
  • Pink - Agency Copy (retained after disposal completed by originating agency).
  • Goldenrod - Auditor's Copy.
    • State Agencies - all State agency disposal requests are reviewed by the State Auditor after initial review by DARM. Auditor will keep this copy prior to final disposition.
    • Local Agencies - Local auditor must review disposal requests for all financial records prior to submission of request to DARM. Auditor may keep this at this time or wait for its return from DARM with Yellow & Pink copies.
Instructions for Preparing "Request and Authorization for Records Disposal Form"


Items 1 - 5 Requesting Agency Information – Enter: name, address, telephone number, records retention schedule
number; signature and title of the official initiating the request; signature and title of the Custodian of Public
Records approving the request; signature of the Records Manager, and the request date. Note: The Request
Approved By signature may not be the same as the Requested By signature in Item 3.

Item 6 Archival Review – The signature of the State or Local Archivist performing the Archival Review for the
records listed in the disposal request.

Item 7 Premature Records Disposal – Enter for disposal of hardcopy records whose retentions have not yet
expired but were microfilmed, or imaged, or were deemed unsalvageable due to a disaster.

Item 8 Comments – A field dedicated for associated comments.

Item 9 Record Series Number - Enter the record series number as it appears on the current records retention
schedule.

Item 10 Record Series Title - Enter the record series title exactly as it appears on the current records retention
schedule. In cases where a record series does not appear on a schedule, contact a Records Analyst at the
Division of Archives and Records Management.

Item 11 Records Retention Period - Enter the retention periods for the expired record series exactly as it appears on
the current records retention schedule. If no retention period has been established, contact a Records Analyst
at the Division of Archives and Records Management.

Item 12 Inclusive Dates - Enter the From Month/Year dates through the To Month/Year dates of the record series
slated for disposal.

Item 13 Dispose After – Enter the date the records may be slated for disposal.

Item 14 Volume - Enter the volume in cubic feet for each record series and provide a total volume at the bottom of the
form. Note: one full letter or legal size file drawer contains two cubic feet. Fractions should be
rounded up.

Item 15 Audit Authorization – The Auditor Signature for the Requesting Agency, in block 15A and date block 15B,
for all County and Municipal fiscal records. This must be signed before submission to the Division of
Archives and Records Management. State Agencies complete items 1 through 14 only for fiscal records.

Item 16 DARM Authorization (Division) - Blocks 16A through 16C are reserved for the Division of Archives and
Records Management.

Item 17 Disposition - Enter the manner in which the records have been disposed in Item 17. In block 17A include the
signature of the official verifying the disposal and the verification date in block 17B. NOTE: Return all four
(4) parts of the form intact, to the Division. The Follow-up and Requesting Agency copies will be returned
to you with items 16A through 16C completed - a Signature in block 16C indicates formal approval of the
disposition request. After disposal, return the Yellow, DARM Follow-up copy to the Division, the Goldenrod,
Auditor copy to the Auditor, and retain the Pink, Requesting Agency copy to complete the process. Please
include a self-addressed envelope for expedited service.

Contact Information :
Joseph L. Falca, Supervisor, Records and Forms Analysis
2300 Stuyvesant Avenue
P.O. Box 307
Trenton, NJ 08625-0307
609.530.3208
609.530.6121 (fax)
e-mail: records.management@sos.state.nj.us
 
Please send comments concerning this website to: webmaster.darm@sos.state.nj.us
Created September 23, 2002, Updated February 11, 2009.
Link to the State of New Jersey, Department of State Open Public Records Act (OPRA) Web Page

 
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