The following local government records retention schedules went into effect on August 14, 2011. To download the new schedules as PDF documents, click on the links below. They are also available on our website at Local Retention Schedules.

• Local Schedule CC, 3rd Edition (Records of County Clerk)
• Local Schedule DC, 3rd Edition (Records of District Clerks)
• Local Schedule LC, 2nd Edition (Records of Justice and Municipal Courts)
• Local Schedule PS, 3rd Edition (Records of Public Safety Agencies)

How do the changes affect our records management program?

It depends on the way your government has chosen to meet the records scheduling requirement of the Local Government Records Act.

• If your government has met this requirement through the SLR 508 (Declaration of Compliance with the Records Scheduling Requirement of the Local Government Records Act), the changes will automatically go into effect for your government with no further action needed.

• If your government has met the requirement through the submission of a Records Control Schedule, your RMO may submit an SLR 508 to adopt the new schedules. Alternatively, your RMO may submit an amended records control schedule with all changes incorporated, using the SLR 500 and SLR 540 forms; or an amendment that lists all the items that will be changing, using the SLR 520 and SLR 540 forms. All forms may be downloaded here.

Is compliance with the new schedules mandatory?

Yes. See Section 203.041(d), Local Government Code:

The records management officer shall review the records control schedules of the local government or elective county office and prepare amendments to the schedules as needed to reflect new records created or received by the government or office or revisions to retention periods established in a records retention schedule issued by the commission. Amendments to records control schedules shall be filed with the director and librarian in the same manner as the original schedules.

Section 203.041(c) allows this requirement to be met through a Declaration of Compliance (SLR 508) form:

A records management officer, in lieu of filing an amended records control schedule, may file with the director and librarian an amended written certification of compliance that the local government or the elective county office has adopted amended records control schedules to comply with the minimum requirements established on records retention schedules issued by the commission including any revised schedules issued by the commission.

Do the new retention periods apply to records created before August 14, 2011?

Yes. As an example, the retention period for subpoenas (CC1575-09) has increased from 2 years to 5 years. This means that all subpoena records must now be kept 5 years, regardless of when they were created.

How can we find out what’s changed?

Any new or substantially revised series will be marked with an asterisk (*) preceding the series’ record number (for example, *PS4050-06.).

Additionally, to help ease this transition, we have created lists of the changes to each schedule. Click on the links below to download these change documents:

• Changes from 2nd edition to 3rd edition of Local Schedule CC (PDF, 177 KB)
• Changes from 2nd edition to 3rd edition of Local Schedule DC (PDF, 133 KB)
• Changes from 1st edition to 2nd edition of Local Schedule LC (PDF, 118 KB)
• Changes from 2nd edition to 3rd edition of Local Schedule PS (PDF, 127 KB)

The change documents list additions of new records series; changes in retention periods; changes in records series titles; changes in record descriptions, which often change the scope of a records series; changes in citations of applicable laws (e.g., Local Government Code, Agriculture Code, Health and Safety Code), administrative rules (e.g., Texas Administrative Code), and other standards dictating retention periods; changes or additions in remarks (such as a retention note recommending archival review); and deletions of records series. They do not list non-substantive changes such as minor amendments to grammar or punctuation.

Where can I get help?

Government Information Analysts are available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., to answer your questions. Please contact the analyst assigned to your county or call (512) 421-7200.