Government Code section 26205.5

At the request of the county recorder, the board of supervisors of any county may authorize the destruction of any or all of the filed papers or record books created by handwriting, typing on printed forms, by typewriting, or by photographic methods, in the recorder’s official custody, if all of the following conditions are complied with:

(a)

The record, paper, or document is photographed, microphotographed, reproduced by electronically recorded video images on magnetic surfaces, recorded in the electronic data processing system, recorded on optical disk, reproduced on film or any other medium that is a trusted system and that does not permit additions, deletions, or changes to the original document, or reproduced under the direction and control of the county recorder on film, optical disk, or any other medium in compliance with Section 12168.7 for recording of permanent records or nonpermanent records.

(b)

The device used to reproduce the record, paper, or document on film, optical disk, or any other medium is one that accurately and legibly reproduces the original thereof in all details and that does not permit additions, deletions, or changes to the original document images.

(c)

The photographs, microphotographs, or other reproductions on film, optical disk, or any other medium are made as accessible for public reference as the original records were.

(d)

A true copy of archival quality of the film, optical disk, or any other medium reproductions shall be kept in a safe and separate place for security purposes.
However, no page of any record, paper, or document shall be destroyed if any page cannot be reproduced on film with full legibility. Every unreproducible page shall be permanently preserved in a manner that will afford easy reference.
For the purposes of this section, every reproduction shall be deemed to be an original record and a transcript, exemplification, or certified copy of any reproduction shall be deemed to be a transcript, exemplification, or certified copy, as the case may be, of the original.

Source: Section 26205.5, https://leginfo.­legislature.­ca.­gov/faces/codes_displaySection.­xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=26205.­5.­ (accessed May 4, 2025).

Last Updated

Apr. 24, 2025

§ 26205.5’s source at ca​.gov