Note: If any state archives or records administrators know of additional documents that should be listed here,
please email information to CoSA staff at info@statearchivists.org.
Updated November 28, 2011

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Laws, Statutes, Regulations

Alabama

• State Records Retention Law
  http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeOfAlabama/1975/41-13-21.htm
• Local Government Records Retention Law
  http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeOfAlabama/1975/41-13-23.htm
• Open Meetings Act
  https://www.openmeetings.alabama.gov/generalpublic/publicdefault.aspx
• Open Records Act
  http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeOfAlabama/1975/36-12-40.htm
• Definition of a Public Record
  http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeOfAlabama/1975/41-13-1.htm

Alaska

• Public Records Statute
  http://www.legis.state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/stattx03/query=!2240!2E21!22/doc/%7Bt15422%7D/hit_headings
• Archives & Records Management Services regulation
  http://www.legis.state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/aac/query=!224+aac+59!2E005!22/doc/{t16515}?
• Public Records Disclosures law
  http://www.legis.state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/stattx08/query=!2240!2E25!22/doc/{t16369}?
• Uniform Electronic Records Act
  http://www.legis.state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/stattx08/query=!2209!2E80!22/doc/{t3348}?
• Personal Information Protection Act
  http://www.legis.state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/stattx08/query=!2245!2E48!22/doc/{t19885}?

American Samoa

• Chapter 11: Public Records
  http://asbar.org/Newcode/Title%2004.htm#chapter11
• Chapter 12: Archives and Records Management
  http://asbar.org/Newcode/Title%2004.htm#chapter12

Arizona

• Public Records Standards and Laws
  http://www.lib.az.us/records/laws.cfm
• What Constitutes a Public Record?
  http://www.lib.az.us/records/l-recdef.cfm
• What is a record? (tip sheet)
  http://www.lib.az.us/records/documents/tip%20sheets/what%20is%20a%20record.doc
• Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act
  http://recorder.maricopa.gov/pdf/Electronic_Recording_Standards.pdf

California

• State records management act
  http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=gov&group=14001-15000&file=14740-14741.1
• What is a record?
  http://www.pd.dgs.ca.gov/recsctr/default.htm#calrim

Colorado

• Colorado Laws Concerning Public Records
  http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/arcopen.html
  http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/rm/rmfaqs.htm#1

Connecticut

• GL M 97-1 PA 97-89 "An Act Concerning the Recording,
  Copying and Maintenance of Certain Public Records"
  http://www.cslib.org/publicrecords/image.htm
• Required Minimum Microfilming Standards for Public Records;
  Disposition of Original Records: Policy Statement, General Letter 96-2
  http://www.cslib.org/publicrecords/micro.htm
• Current statutes and the definition of a "public record"
  http://www.cslib.org/publicrecords/2009PubRecLawsrev.pdf 

Delaware

• Delaware Freedom of Information Act
  http://archives.delaware.gov/govsvcs/pdfs/Records%20Policies/DE%20Freedom%20of%20Information%20Act.pdf
• Delaware Public Records Law
  http://archives.delaware.gov/govsvcs/pdfs/Records%20Policies/DE%20Public%20Records%20Law.pdf

Florida

• Statutes and Administrative Code Rules Relating to Archives and Records Management
  http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/recordsmgmt/statutes.cfm
  
  • Chapter 119, 2008 Florida Statutes--Public Records Law
  • Chapter 257, 2008 Florida Statutes--Public Libraries and State Archives
  • Chapter 1B-11, Florida Administrative Code--Use of Archives and Archives Facilities
  • Chapter 1B-24, Florida Administrative Code--Public Records Scheduling and Dispositioning
  • Chapter 1B-26.003, Florida Administrative Code--Electronic Recordkeeping
  • Chapter 1B-26.0021, Florida Administrative Code--Microfilm Standards
  • Chapter 1B-31, Florida Administrative Code--Real Property Electronic Recording
  • Chapter 2.430-2.440 and Retention Schedule, Florida Rules of Judicial Administration -- Judicial Branch/Court records retention (PDF)

Georgia

• Summary of Georgia Record Keeping Laws
  http://www.sos.state.ga.us/archives/who_are_we/rims/
  best_practices_resources/summary_georgia_record_keeping_laws.htm
• Georgia Records Act
  http://www.sos.state.ga.us/archives/who_are_we/rims/
  best_practices_resources/georgia_records_act.htm
• Open Records Act
  http://www.sos.state.ga.us/archives/who_are_we/rims/
  best_practices_resources/open_records_act.htm
• Georgia Microforms Act
  http://www.sos.state.ga.us/archives/who_are_we/rims/
  best_practices_resources/microforms_act.htm

Hawai`i

• Hawaii Laws that Apply to Retention & Disposition of Government Records
  http://hawaii.gov/dags/archives/records-management/
  Shortcuts%20to%20laws%20on%20records.pdf
• Law regarding government electronic records
  http://hawaii.gov/dags/archives/records-management/Law%20
  Regarding%20Government%20Electronic%20Records.pdf

Idaho

• Idaho Code
  http://www.idahohistory.net/library_collections.html#

Illinois

• The State Records Act (5 ILCS 160)
  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=86&ChapAct=
  5 ILCS 160/&ChapterID=2&ChapterName=
  GENERAL+PROVISIONS&ActName=State+Records+Act.
• The Local Records Act (50 ILCS ACT 205)
  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=699&ChapAct=
  50 ILCS 205/&ChapterID=11&ChapterName=
  LOCAL+GOVERNMENT&ActName=Local+Records+Act.
• Illinois School Student Records Act (105 ILCS 10)
  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1006&ChapAct=
  105 ILCS 10/&ChapterID=17&ChapterName=
  SCHOOLS&ActName=Illinois+School+Student+Records+Act.
• Filmed Records Reproduction Act (5 ILCS 170)
  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=88&ChapAct=
  5 ILCS 170/&ChapterID=2&ChapterName=
  GENERAL+PROVISIONS&ActName=Filmed+Records+Reproduction+Act.
• Filmed Records Certification Act (50 ILCS 210)
  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=700&ChapAct=
  50 ILCS 210/&ChapterID=11&ChapterName=
  LOCAL+GOVERNMENT&ActName=Filmed+Records+Certification+Act.
• Filmed Records Destruction Act (50 ILCS 215)
  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=701&ChapAct=
  50 ILCS 215/&ChapterID=11&ChapterName=
  LOCAL+GOVERNMENT&ActName=Filmed+Records+Destruction+Act.
• Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS ACT 140)
  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=85&ChapAct=
  5 ILCS 140/&ChapterID=2&ChapterName=
  GENERAL+PROVISIONS&ActName=Freedom+of+Information+Act.

Indiana

• Indiana's Public Records: The Legal Framework of Records
  and Information Management in State Government
  http://www.in.gov/icpr/records_management/pubs/legal.pdf

Iowa

• Code of Iowa Chapter 22 - Examination of Public Records (Open Records)
  http://search.legis.state.ia.us/nxt/gateway.dll/ic?f=template&fn=default.htm
  
• Code of Iowa Chapter 305 - State Records & Archives
  http://search.legis.state.ia.us/nxt/gateway.dll/ia?f=templates&fn=default.htm

Kentucky

• Managing Government Records: An Introduction to Kentucky's Public Records Management Law
  http://www.kdla.ky.gov/recmanagement/schedules/Managing%20Government%20Records%20-%20Final.pdf
• Kentucky Revised Statues, Chapter 171.410-740
  http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/171-00/CHAPTER.HTM
• Kentucky Administrative Regulations, Title 725
  http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/TITLE725.HTM

Louisiana

• Records Management Policies and Practices (LAC 4:XVII.Chapters 1-15)
  http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/Portals/0/archives/pdf/rec_mgt.pdf

Maine

• Guidelines for Your Records Management Program.
  Introduction / The Law. The Records Management Program for the State of Maine is authorized by MRSA Title V, Chapter 6, Section 95, Subsection 7 (see page 3 of the manual).
  http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/files/TrainingManual.doc
  

Maryland

• Records management laws, rules, and regulations
  http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/intromsa/html/record_mgmt/homepage.html
• What is a public record?
  http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/intromsa/html/record_mgmt/record.html

Massachusetts

• Public Records Law (PDF, 216k)
  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prepdf/pubreclaw.pdf
• A Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law (PDF, 508k)
  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prepdf/guide.pdf

Minnesota

• What do you need to know about government records?
  Section 1 in "Managing Your Government Records: Guidelines for Archives and Agencies"
  Presents the definition of government records and summarizes the laws that govern them.
  http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/recordsguidelines/guidelines1.html

Mississippi

• State Government Records Assistance
  http://mdah.state.ms.us/recman/sgrap.php

Missouri

• Laws and Codes Pertaining to State Records
  http://www.sos.mo.gov/records/recmgmt/laws.asp
• "What Is a Record?," a Guide to Missouri's State Records Management Program
  http://www.sos.mo.gov/records/recmgmt/whatisarecord.asp
  

Montana

• What is a Public Record?
  http://sos.mt.gov/Records/What_Is_Record.asp
• Montana Codes Annotated
  http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca_toc/2_6.htm
  http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca/2/6/2-6-206.htm
  http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca/2/9/2-9-201.htm
• Montana Administrative Rules
  http://www.mtrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=44.14

Nebraska

• Secretary of State, records Management Division home page
  http://www.sos.ne.gov/staticrecordsmgmt.htm

Nevada

• Nevada Administrative Code - Records of State Agencies
  http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/records/nac.htm

New Jersey

• New Jersey Public Records Related Legislation
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/legislation.html
• New Jersey Open Public Records Act
  http://www.state.nj.us/opra/
• New Jersey Administrative Code Title 15
  Department of State Chapter 3 Records Management
  Complete text of N.J.A.C. 15:3 in PDF format [767kb]
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/pdf/njac-15-3.pdf
• Summary history of N.J.A.C. 15:3
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/njac-15-3.html
• N.J.A.C. 15:3 Subchapter 1: General Provisions
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/njac-15-3-1.html
• N.J.A.C. 15:3 Subchapter 2: Records Retention
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/njac-15-3-2.html
• N.J.A.C. 15:3 Subchapter 3: Standards for Microfilming of Public Records
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/njac-15-3-3.html
• N.J.A.C. 15:3 Subchapter 4: Image Processing of Public Records
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/njac-15-3-4.html
• N.J.A.C. 15:3 Subchapter 5: Certification of Imaging Processing Systems
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/njac-15-3-5.html
• N.J.A.C. 15:3 Subchapter 6: Records Storage
  http://www.njarchives.org/links/njac-15-3-6.html

New Mexico

• Governing statutes
  http://www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/info/statutes.htm

New York

• Laws and Regulations Relating to Local Government Recordshttp://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_laws_local.shtml
• What are records?
  http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_start.shtml#_What_are_records

North Carolina

• N.C.G.S § 121 The Archives and History Act 
  http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Statutes/StatutesTOC.pl?Chapter=0121
• N.C.G.S § 132 The Public Records Act
  http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Statutes/StatutesTOC.pl?Chapter=0132
• Guidelines for Public Records
  http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/records/guidelines.htm
• Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act
  http://www.electronicrecording.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=77

North Dakota

• Laws related to records (Appendix A) and Definitions of records terminology (Appendix B)
  in North Dakota Records Management Manual
  http://www.nd.gov/itd/records/rmmanual.pdf

Ohio

• Ohio Public Records Laws and Legislation
  http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/lgr/lawsandlegislation.html
• Sections of the Ohio Revised Code respecting the creation,
  maintenance, preservation, transfer, and disposal of records.
  http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/statearc/orc.html
  

Oregon

• Oregon Revised Statues 192 and 357
  http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/home.htm
• Oregon Administrative Rules
  http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/banners/rules.htm

Oklahoma

• Rules of the Oklahoma Archives and Records Commission
  http://www.odl.state.ok.us/oar/administration/oarc.htm

Pennsylvania

• Records Law, Statutes, etc.
  http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/state_records_management/
  3820/laws%2C_management_directives%2C_manuals/493878

Puerto Rico

• Public Documents Administration Act
  http://www.icp.gobierno.pr/agp/PDF/ley5.pdf
  http://www.ogp.gobierno.pr/html/Tecno_leydocpub.htm

Rhode Island

• Records Laws: State records
  http://www.sos.ri.gov/Archives/pra/laws
• Records Laws: Local government records
  http://www.sos.ri.gov/Archives/lgrp/laws
• Study of Access to Public Records in Cities and Towns of Rhode Island
  http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Taubman_Center/foi_html/Default.htm

South Carolina

• South Carolina Public Records Act
  http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t30c001.htm

Tennessee

• Rules of the Public Records Commission
  Includes definitions of records (permanent, temporary, confidential, archival, essential), citations of relevant statutes.
  http://www.state.tn.us/sos/rules/1210/1210-01.pdf

Texas

• State Records Management Laws
  http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/slrm/recordspubs/stbull04.html

Utah

• Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA)
  http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE63G/63G02.htm
• Public Recods Management Act
  http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE63A/63A12.htm

Vermont

• Vermont Public Records and the Right to Know: What is a Public Record?
  http://vermont-archives.org/records/right-to-know/definition.html
• Vermont's Public Record Law
  http://vermont-archives.org/records/handbook/pdf/PublicRecordsLaw.pdf

Virginia

• Virginia Public Records Act
  http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwedo/records/manuals/00M-APPA.HTM

Washington

• Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act
  http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Law%202008/2459.SL.pdf

West Virginia

• Records Management and Preservation of Essential Records Act
  http://www.state.wv.us/ot/RM_WestVirginiaCode.pdf
• Regulations of the West Virginia State Records Administrator
  http://www.state.wv.us/ot/RM_Definitions.pdf

Wyoming

• Is It a Record?
  http://wyoarchives.state.wy.us/Record/index.asp
• Wyoming Statutes, Article 4, State Archives, Museums, and Historical Department
  http://legisweb.state.wy.us/statutes/statutes.aspx?file=titles/Title9/T9CH2AR4.htm
  

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Last updated: November 28, 2011 .