CSUS Records Retention Schedule

The Records Retention Schedule is the primary source of retention requirements for the records created and received by the California State University, Sacramento. It provides the legal authority for the destruction of records. However, be aware that all records pertaining to ongoing or pending audits, lawsuits (or even reasonable anticipated lawsuits), or public disclosure proceedings must not be destroyed, damaged, or altered until the issue is resolved and you are specifically advised that such records may be destroyed.

The Records Retention Schedule is a document that identifies a series of unique records/information associated with a university process or function.  For each record/information listed, the schedule will include a unique number/identifier, title, custodian, value, retention authority, and retention period. The basic schedules are to be modified by each department as needed, e.g., to specify custodians, incorporate additional records, etc.

Series:  A group of related records filed/used together and evaluated as a unit for retention purposes.

Value:  Records and information may have value in one or more of the following areas:

1. Operational: Required by a campus/department to perform its primary function
2. Legal: Required to be kept by law or may be needed litigation or a government investigation.
3. Fiscal: Related to the financial transactions of the campus, especially those required for audit or tax purposes.
4. Historical: Of long-term value to document past events.  This may arise from exceptional age and/or connection with some significant historical event or person associated with the CSU.
5. Vital: Critical to maintain to ensure operational continuity for the CSU after a disruption or disaster.  Vital records or information may fall into any one of the above value categories.

The following are the links to the University Records Retention Schedule:

For questions on the content of this page, please contact Records Management Services at 916-278-6312 or e-mail at recmgt@csus.edu.