Know the Code: Records Retention and Best Practices

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Know the Code is a monthly series highlighting different sections of the County of San Diego Code of Ethics.  The mission of the Office of Ethics and Compliance (OEC) is to assist in fulfilling the County’s commitment to the highest standards of ethics and compliance. 

By the Office of Ethics and Compliance

As employees of the County of San Diego, we deal with a lot of information in all forms – all types of records. Knowing which of your records to keep, and for how long, is essential to ensuring legal and regulatory compliance.

April is Records and Information Management Month, a celebration of the value of organizing and maintaining records and data, and that is why this month’s Know the Code is Records Retention Best Practices!

Please take 15 minutes to do a little records management spring cleaning, and to help you get started, here are some records management spring cleaning tips!

  • Review your department’s Records Retention Policy and Schedule annually and update as needed.

  • Identify and classify the records your department holds.

  • Delete record/data once it is no longer required or after the record retention period has been met.

  • Clean-up physical (desks, desktops, file cabinets, shelves) and electronic (emails, desktop, shared drives) records.

  • Consistency – make sure everyone knows the records retention requirement and consistently follows the requirements.

If you have questions about policies and procedures, you can contact management, or in cases of records retention you can contact DPC Records Services:

And, of course you can report concerns to Office of Ethics and Compliance - oec@sdcounty.ca.gov or Agency Compliance Office (for HHSA staff) or contact the Ethics Hotline (webform) https://sdc.callsplus.net/ or (phone)  866-549-0004.

Check out the OEC webpage on InSite for information about upcoming Ethics & Compliance Program events, training and resources including monthly “Know the Code” articles and micro-training videos.

If you have questions about Ethics & Compliance training or how to access the training and other Ethics & Compliance resources, please contact the OEC team at oec@sdcounty.ca.gov, 619-531-5174. HHSA staff may also contact the dedicated HHSA Compliance and Privacy team at compliance.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov, 619-338-2807.