A retention schedule is the name of a legal document that provides important information about county records. King County retention schedules are all based on, and compliant with, Washington State Local Government Records Retention Schedules. However, county employees should only use county retention schedules to determine what to do with their records. All King County retention schedules are available on the Records Management website, which is automatically updated every day.

Retention schedules include important information including:

• Cutoff date: When a type of record becomes inactive;
• Retention period: How long a record must be retained after the cutoff date;
• Archival designation: Determines whether a record can be destroyed at the end of its retention period, or whether it has the potential long-term historical value;
• And more.

For more information, visit the county’s Records Management Program website or contact them at records.management@kingcounty.gov. The Records Management Program, in the Department of Executive Services, provides guidance, resources, and training to all King County employees to assist them with managing King County’s public records according to state and local legal requirements and best practices.