Alert to Records Staff: Significant Update to the Local Government Common Records (CORE) Retention Schedule

Local government agencies are required by chapter 40.14 RCW to retain records for different lengths of time depending on the record's content, function, and purpose. The Local Government Records Retention Schedules, approved by the local records committee and published by the Washington State Archives (a division of the Office of the Secretary of State), establish the time frames for records retention, archiving, and destruction. These schedules are what give local agencies the legal right to destroy or transfer public records out of their possession. 

The primary schedule that applies to a majority of local records is the Local Government Common Records Retention Schedule (CORE). In its first major update in nearly eight years, the State Archives published CORE version 5.0 this past October 2024.

In a helpful crosswalk document, Summary of Changes from Version 4.2 to 5.0, the State Archives describes the 32 new record series, the 37 changes to retention periods, the 147 “minor” changes, and numerous reorganizations and redesignations of archival or essential.

Records management staff should review the changes and consider whether updates are needed to their agency’s records retention processes and procedures. Be sure to download or update bookmarks to the most current version of the CORE. A complete list of all local records retention schedules is also available on the State Archive’s site.

In Other Archive News…

The Local Records Grant Program will be accepting applications starting February 2, 2025. Local government agencies can apply for one of the following types of grant (per grant cycle):

• Technology Tools – up to $30,000 
• Organizing the File Room – up to $20,000 
• Digital Imaging – up to $50,000 

Help completing applications is available now. For more, see the Washington State Archives’ Local Records Grant Program page.