South Carolina Code of Regulations
Chapter 12 - SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
Article 12 - GENERAL RETENTION SCHEDULE FOR ELECTRONIC RECORDS COMMON TO MOST STATE AGENCIES/INSTITUTIONS
Section 12-1200 - Introduction and General Matters; Application of Schedule
This regulation provides disposal authorization for the official electronic versions of non-permanent records scheduled for destruction under one or more sections in General Records Retention Schedules for Administrative and Personnel Records (sections 12-300 through 12-423), General Records Retention Schedule for Financial Records of State Agencies (sections 12-700 through 12-757), and General Records Retention Schedule for State Colleges and Universities (sections 12-800 through 12-813.10). It also provides disposal authorization for the official electronic versions of non-permanent records scheduled for destruction under specific retention schedules approved by each state agency or state-supported college or university, the State Archives, and the Budget and Control Board.
Electronic Records Covered by This General Schedule
This general schedule applies to disposable official copies of non-permanent electronic records created or received by state agencies and institutions. It covers records created by computer operators, programmers, analysts, systems administrators, and all personnel with access to a computer. In addition, this general schedule covers certain disposable electronic records produced by end users in office automation applications. These disposition authorities apply to the categories of electronic records described in this general schedule, regardless of the type of computer used to create or store these records.
Electronic Records Not Covered By This General Schedule
This general schedule does not cover all electronic records. Especially, it does not cover electronic records which should be retained permanently. Official copies of electronic records not covered by this schedule may not be disposed of unless authorized by the State Archives. Convenience, informational and other extra copies are not covered by this general schedule and may be disposed of when no longer needed for reference.
How To Use This General Schedule
The records covered by several sections in this general schedule are authorized for erasure or deletion when the agency or institution determines that they are no longer needed for administrative, financial, reference, legal, audit, or other operational purposes. The State Archives cannot establish a more specific retention that would be appropriate in all applications. Each agency or institution should, when appropriate, determine a more specific disposition instruction, such as "After X update cycles; delete" or "X years, delete or destroy" for inclusion in its records disposition directives or manual. State agencies and institutions are not required to request authorization to dispose of electronic records covered by this general schedule.
State agencies or institutions may opt out of this general schedule and request the continuing use of existing schedules or the establishment of specific retention schedules for their electronic records when appropriate, necessary, or in order to avoid conflict with other laws or regulations.
