How long are agencies required to retain CCTV and security camera footage?

There is no single, government-wide number for how long CCTV and security camera footage must be kept. Retention depends on what the footage documents and which records schedule covers it. For most federal agencies, routine surveillance video is treated as a short-term operational record, while footage tied to an incident, investigation, or legal matter is kept far longer.

Why retention varies

Video footage is a record like any other, and its retention is set by an approved records schedule rather than by the camera system. The key question is not “how long can we store video” but “what does this video document.” Routine monitoring that captures nothing of consequence has little long-term value. Footage that captures an accident, a security breach, a crime, or a workplace incident takes on evidentiary value and a correspondingly longer retention period.

Common retention patterns

While specifics differ by agency, several patterns are widespread:

• Routine surveillance with no incident is typically retained only briefly, often on a rolling basis of days to a few months, then overwritten or destroyed.
• Footage documenting an incident is segregated and retained longer, frequently for several years, to support investigations, claims, or litigation.
• Footage that becomes part of an investigative or legal case file follows the retention of that case file, which can be substantially longer.

For federal agencies, physical access and security records — including surveillance video — are commonly governed by the General Records Schedules (GRS), which provide disposition authority for administrative records that are common across government.

What overrides the schedule

A litigation hold, FOIA request, audit, or open investigation suspends normal disposition. Once footage is subject to a hold, it must be preserved until the matter is resolved, regardless of the routine retention period.

Practical guidance

To determine the correct period for your organization, identify the applicable records schedule (the GRS or an agency-specific schedule), confirm whether the footage is routine or incident-related, and document your disposition decisions. Never destroy footage that is under a hold or that may be responsive to a pending request.

For more on schedules, disposition, and federal recordkeeping, see the federal records topic hub.