Records Retention Schedule

Overview

The City creates, collects, and uses large amounts of data as it conducts public business. Some of this data are “records” which document the City’s official activities. The City keeps records for a specified period of time before we dispose of them.

The retention schedule lists the types of records that the City maintains. It is not a comprehensive list of every possible record; it lists categories in which City records belong.

The Records Retention Schedule establishes how long we keep records in each category.

Newly updated

The City restructured its Records Retention Schedule in 2026. This change makes the schedule easier to understand and use. Key changes include:

A single schedule covers all departments.
The schedule is organized by functions rather than by departments.
Records are grouped into a smaller number of “record series” (i.e., categories of records).

The Records Retention Schedule is approved by the State of Minnesota. It provides uniform guidelines for the definition, retention, and destruction of common records found throughout the City. The Records Retention Schedule applies to all City departments. It is organized by function, not by department.

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