(1) The Legislative Assembly finds that:

(a) The records of the state and its political subdivisions are so interrelated and interdependent that the decision as to what records are retained or destroyed is a matter of statewide public policy.

(b) The interest and concern of citizens in public records recognizes no jurisdictional boundaries and extends to such records wherever they may be found in Oregon.

(c) As local programs become increasingly intergovernmental, the state and its political subdivisions have a responsibility to ensure orderly retention and destruction of all public records, whether current or noncurrent, and to ensure the preservation of public records of value for legal, administrative, fiscal, tribal cultural, historical or research purposes.

(2) The purpose of ORS § 192.005 to 192.170 and 357.805 to 357.895 is to provide direction for the retention or destruction of public records in Oregon in order to ensure the retention of records essential to meet the needs of the Legislative Assembly, the state, its political subdivisions and its citizens, insofar as the records affect the administration of government, legal rights and responsibilities, and the accumulation of information of value for research purposes of all kinds, and in order to ensure the prompt destruction of records without continuing value. All records not included in types described in this subsection shall be destroyed in accordance with rules adopted by the Secretary of State. [1973 c.439 § 1; 1991 c.671 § 3; 2015 c.27 § 18; 2023 c.35 § 1]

ARCHIVING OF PUBLIC RECORDS