From the Hotline

By Legal Department
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association

Q: Our municipality has been talking about disposing of some of its records. Are there rules relating to record retention and disposal by municipalities? 

A: Yes. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), through its Bureau of Archives and History, is responsible for providing archival and records management services to county and municipal governments, school districts, and the state judicial system. The Municipal Records Retention Policy can be found on the PHMC Web site.

[CLICK HERE FOR INFO RELATING TO COUNTY RECORDS MGMT.]

The time limits for disposal vary, depending upon the document at issue, with some documents required to be kept permanently either by the local government or the state archives.

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PNA Legal Hotline: (717) 703-3080