What should I do with records that have no assigned retention period?

Finding records with no assigned retention period is common, especially in organizations with legacy collections, new record types, or systems that grew faster than the records program. The short answer is simple: do not destroy them, and do not ignore them. Records without an assigned retention period are usually called unscheduled records, and they require a defined process to bring them under control.

Why you cannot just delete them

A missing retention period does not mean a record has no value or no obligation attached to it. The absence of a schedule is a gap in your program, not evidence that the record is disposable. Destroying unscheduled records can expose your organization to legal, regulatory, audit, or accountability risk. As a working rule, an unscheduled record should be retained until it is properly evaluated and scheduled.

Steps to bring them under control

1. Identify and inventory. Document what the records are, where they live, who owns them, their format, and their date range. You cannot assign retention to something you have not described.
2. Determine the record series. Group similar records into series based on function and content. Retention is almost always assigned at the series level, not item by item.
3. Check for existing coverage. Many “unscheduled” records actually fit an existing schedule or a published general schedule. Confirm before assuming a new schedule is needed.
4. Assess value and obligations. Consider legal and regulatory requirements, fiscal or contractual needs, operational use, and any historical or archival value. These drive the retention decision.
5. Assign and approve retention. Add the series to your retention schedule through your organization’s approval process. Government agencies typically must also obtain external approval before disposition is authorized.

Don’t forget legal holds

If any of these records are subject to litigation, investigation, or an audit, place them under a legal hold immediately. A hold suspends destruction regardless of what a schedule eventually says.

Treat unscheduled records as a backlog to work down systematically rather than a problem to defer. For more on building and maintaining schedules, see the retention and disposition topic hub.