Records Center or Archives?
Transfer or Recall Records
Where should you send your records?
Government agencies can transfer records to the State Records Center or the State Archives. These two buildings are separate and have different purposes.
Table Comparison
State Records Center | State Archives |
Located in Clearfield, Utah. | Located in Salt Lake City. |
Total capacity: 164,000 cubic feet | Total capacity: |
Records may be permanent or not permanent. | Accepts permanent records only. |
Records remain in the custody of the creating agency. | State Archives assumes custody of the records. |
The creating agency may recall records at any time. | Records must be accessed via the State Archives Reference Room in Salt Lake. |
Once retention is met, permanent records are transferred to State Archives automatically, and non-permanent records are destroyed (with agency approval). | Records have already met retention and are preserved permanently. |
Not temperature or humidity controlled. | Temperature and humidity controlled. |
Secured building is not open to the public. | Secured building is not open to the public. |
State Records Center overview
The State Records Center is an off-site storage warehouse for agencies to store records that have not yet met retention. Storage is free, though agencies must use State Archives boxes. All records must follow an approved retention schedule and have a State Archives series number (see Create or revise a retention schedule).
Records at the State Records Center remain in the custody of the originating agency, meaning the originating agency is responsible for providing access to those records as needed. Records may be recalled by the agency at any time.
Once boxes have met their retention, the State Records Center will email the agency for permission to destroy the records; or, for permanent records, will send the boxes to State Archives automatically.
State Archives overview
State Archives is the official permanent repository of Utah's historical government records. All records at State Archives have met retention and have no administrative value for the originating agency.
When you transfer your records to State Archives, we assume custody of them. We preserve the records and provide access to the public, following all classifications specified in GRAMA. For some very popular records, like birth and death certificates in the public domain, we digitize the records and put them online.
Government agencies needing access to records already transferred to State Archives must utilize the Archives Reference Room in Salt Lake City to obtain access.