Who decides which records get referred to other agencies during declassification review?

When classified records are reviewed for declassification, the agency conducting the review does not always have the authority to decide the outcome on its own. Many records contain classified information that originated with, or concerns the interests of, more than one agency. When that happens, those portions must be referred to the agency that owns the information. Deciding what gets referred — and to whom — is a structured process rather than a matter of individual judgment.

Who makes the decision

The reviewing agency is responsible for examining its records and identifying any classified information that belongs to another agency. The reviewers — typically trained declassification specialists or subject-matter experts — flag passages reflecting another agency’s “equity,” meaning that agency’s classified interest in the information.

Once an equity is identified, the originating agency, not the reviewer, decides whether that information can be declassified. In short:

• The reviewing agency decides what to refer by recognizing other agencies’ equities.
• The originating (owning) agency decides whether its information stays classified or is released.

This division reflects a core principle of the U.S. classification system: the agency that classified information retains authority over it.

How referrals are identified

Reviewers look for several signals that another agency’s equity may be present:

• Information clearly sourced from or attributed to another agency.
• Topics within another agency’s mission or jurisdiction.
• Markings, dissemination controls, or source references pointing elsewhere.

Standardized guidance and recognition tools help reviewers apply consistent criteria, so that referral decisions across government follow common rules rather than ad hoc choices.

Why this matters

Referrals protect against premature or improper release of another agency’s sensitive information, while still moving records toward eventual public access. They also explain why some released documents contain redactions attributed to agencies other than the one that holds the file.

For records and information-governance professionals, the takeaway is that declassification is collaborative: identifying equities is a recordkeeping and review discipline, and final release authority follows ownership of the information.

Learn more on the declassification topic hub.

Government-wide oversight of the classification and declassification system, including referral practices, is coordinated through the Information Security Oversight Office.