Document Retention Policy

The Academy has adopted a document retention policy that provides for the orderly retention and destruction of documents. A copy of the policy is included below. Please familiarize yourself with the policy and take steps to ensure that you and other members working under your direction conform to the policy in dealing with Academy documents. Questions concerning the document retention policy may be addressed to the general counsel.
 

Academy Documents

Tax records	To be retained for seven years
Insurance records	Permanent
General ledger	Permanent
Audit materials	To be retained for seven years
Personnel files	Permanent for the duration of employment, retained for five years after termination
Employment applications & resumes	To be destroyed after position is filled; no resumes to be retained on file for potential openings
General files	To be retained for three years after project that is subject of file is completed
Minutes	Permanent
Contracts	Permanent until superseded; retain for one year after termination date
Board & committee agenda materials	To be retained for three years
Committee files	To be retained for three years, except for documents related to pending projects
Public statements	Permanent
Chronological file	To be retained for three years
Discipline files	Permanent
Publications	Permanent until superseded
Drafts	Except as otherwise provided, all drafts of documents should be destroyed as soon as the final document is completed. This applies to all documents produced by the Academy and its committees.
Qualification Standards	Permanent until superseded
Code of Professional Conduct	Permanent until superseded
Exposure drafts	Permanent, with comments to be destroyed when final standard or code adopted

 
 

ASB Documents

Standards	Permanent until superseded
Exposure drafts	Permanent, with comments to be destroyed when final standard or code adopted
Correspondence	To be retained for three years
Publications	Permanent until superseded
Committee files	All material related to adopted standards should be destroyed when the standard is adopted; material related to pending projects should be retained.
Drafts	Except as otherwise provided, all drafts of documents should be destroyed as soon as the final document is completed.

 
 

ABCD Documents

Discipline files	Permanent
Exposure drafts	Permanent
Correspondence	To be retained for three years
Publications	Permanent until superseded
Committee files	Materials should be retained for one year except as related to pending projects
Drafts	Except as otherwise provided, all drafts of documents should be destroyed as soon as the final document is completed.
“One-copy rule”	Only one file copy of each non-permanent document should be retained in the Academy office and only for the above-stated retention period.