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DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC RECORDS <br /> Q. When can I destroy records? <br /> A. Each records series listed on this schedule has specific disposition instructions that indicate how long that <br /> series must be kept in your offices. In some cases,the disposition instructions are"Retain in office <br /> permanently,"which means that those records must be kept in your offices forever. (See also the <br /> question above, "What should/do with permanent records?") <br /> Q. How do I destroy records? <br /> A. After your county has approved this records retention and disposition schedule, records should be <br /> destroyed in one of the following ways: <br /> a) burned, unless prohibited by local ordinance; <br /> b) shredded,or torn up so as to destroy the record content of the documents or material concerned; <br /> c) placed in acid vats so as to reduce the paper to pulp and to terminate the existence of the documents <br /> or materials concerned; <br /> d) buried under such conditions that the record nature of the documents or materials will be <br /> terminated; <br /> e) sold as waste paper, provided that the purchaser agrees in writing that the documents or materials <br /> concerned will not be resold as documents or records. <br /> — N.C.Administrative Code,Title 7,Chapter 4,Subchapter M,Section .0510 <br /> Confidential records should be destroyed in a secure manner so that the information contained in them <br /> cannot be used.We do not recommend the disposal in a landfill of records containing confidential <br /> information. <br /> Q. How can I destroy records if they are not listed on this schedule? <br /> A. Contact the Records Management Analyst assigned to your county. Your analyst will discuss the nature of <br /> the records with you to determine if the records have historical value. If the records do have historical <br /> value,we will discuss the possibility of transferring the records to the State Archives of North Carolina to <br /> be preserved permanently. <br /> If the records do not have historical value,we will ask you to complete a Request for Disposal of <br /> Unscheduled Records(located at the end of this schedule) if the records are not currently created. If the <br /> records are an active records series,your analyst will help you develop an amendment to this schedule so <br /> that you can continue to destroy the records appropriately. <br /> Q. Do I have to tell anyone about the destruction? <br /> A. We recommend that you report on your records retention activities to your Board of Commissioners on <br /> an annual basis. This report does not need to be detailed, but it is important that significant destructions <br /> be entered into the minutes of the Board. <br /> vii <br />