Record Retention Policy
Policies and procedures for the Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and AAALAC International require that certain IACUC-related documents be maintained for a specified number of years. Records should be promptly destroyed upon 30 days after expiration of the retention period.
Record | Retention Period | Source |
| IACUC Records: Minutes of IACUC meetings | 3 years | Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.35; Public Health Service (PHS) Regulation §IV E (2) |
| IACUC Records: Meeting Agendas | 3 years | Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.35; Public Health Service (PHS) Regulation §IV E (2) |
| IACUC Records: Animal Use Protocols | 3 years (Records that relate to ongoing activities shall be maintained for the duration of the activity and for an additional three years) | Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.35; Public Health Service (PHS) Regulation §IV E (2) |
| IACUC Records: Proposed activities involving animals (including documentation of IACUC approval/denial) | 3 years (Records that relate to ongoing activities shall be maintained for the duration of the activity and for an additional three years) | Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.35; Public Health Service (PHS) Regulation §IV E (2) |
| IACUC Records: Proposed significant changes in activities involving animals (including documentation of IACUC approval/denial) | 3 years (Records that relate to ongoing activities shall be maintained for the duration of the activity and for an additional three years) | Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.35; Public Health Service (PHS) Regulation §IV E (2) |
| IACUC Records: Semi-Annual IACUC reports and recommendations | 3 years | Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.35; Public Health Service (PHS) Regulation §IV E (2) |
| IACUC Records: Any reports and recommendations forwarded to the IO | 3 years | Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.35; Public Health Service (PHS) Regulation §IV E (2) |
| IACUC Records: Records of accrediting body determinations | 3 years | NIH Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook p. 174 |
| Animal Health Records: Health records associated with an animal needed to convey necessary information to all those involved in the animal's care | 3 years (Records that relate to ongoing activities shall be maintained for the duration of the activity and for an additional three years) | USDA-approved CBRA Guidelines for Record Retention For Protocols Operating Under NIH Grants; CBRA Guidelines for Record Retention Requirements Under the AWA UC Contracts and Grants Manual Chapter 18-465 |
| Purchasing Records: Information as specified on any dog or cat sold, euthanized or otherwise disposed of | 3 years (Records that relate to ongoing activities shall be maintained for the duration of the activity and for an additional three years) | Animal Welfare Act 9 CFR 2.35 NIH Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook p. 174 |
| Controlled Substance Records: Records associated with purchase, use, or destruction of controlled substances in animals | 2 years (Records that relate to ongoing activities shall be maintained for the duration of the activity and for an additional two years) | CFR Title 21 Chapter II § 1304.04 Maintenance of records and inventories |
Approved: March 23, 2022