Records Disposal Forms
Certificate of Records Destruction
Part of any effective records management program is the timely destruction of obsolete records. The Ohio State University's approved records retention schedules have been well vetted based on administrative, fiscal, and legal value of the records. Therefore, at the end of a record's life, the record should be destroyed in an appropriate manner and documented through the use of a "Certificate of Records Destruction (CRD)."
- Download the fillable Certificate of Records Destruction (the submit feature will not work in a web browser, only Adobe)
- Submit the CRD to Lib-Records@osu.edu or through campus mail for Records Management approval at least one week before your planned disposition.
- Please consult the appropriate retention schedule prior to completing the "Certificate of Records Destruction."
- CRD's should be completed prior to the destruction of any format of record in any storage location, even if it is an offsite storage facility that also has its own destruction paperwork.
We recommend downloading the form and using Adobe to fill out. There is no need to print and scan the form, since it can be completed digitally. Please do not use Docusign, as this locks the form and prevents us from adding administrative notes for approval.
Please also note: If there is pending litigation or your office receives a public records request, a hold is placed on the disposal of the records and they must be retained until it is resolved. Do not submit a CRD until the hold is removed or the request has been closed.
Using a Certificate of One-Time Disposal
One-Time Disposal should ONLY be used if one of the these conditions is met:
- The records are not covered on an active Ohio State Retention Schedule and are no longer created/maintained as part of an Ohio State business process.
- The records are currently on a retention schedule but were prematurely destroyed beyond salvaging due to a disaster.
- Download the fillable Certificate of One-Time Disposal (the submit feature will not work in a web browser, only Adobe)
- How to fill out the Certificate of One-Time Disposal
Please also note: If there is pending litigation or your office receives a public records request, a hold is placed on the disposal of the records and they must be retained until it is resolved. Do not submit a Certificate of One-Time Disposal until the hold is removed or the request has been closed.
Destroying Records
- Non-sensitive records:
- recycling
- trash
- Sensitive/Secure records: view the S3 & S4 Secure Data Destruction Requirements tip sheet for more information. (Ex. grades, social security numbers, credit card information, medical information, etc.):
- Paper:
- incineration
- maceration
- shredding (unit shredder, OSU Recycling, or local shredding company)
- pulping
- Electronic records:
- demagnetization (or other electronic destruction)
- Paper: