Who signs off before records are destroyed, and how many approvals does a disposition certificate need?

Records are never destroyed casually. Before anything is discarded, the action must be authorized by an approved retention schedule and confirmed by people accountable for the records — not by whoever happens to be cleaning out a drawer. The number of approvals varies by organization, but the underlying principle is consistent: destruction should be deliberate, documented, and defensible.

Who signs off

There is no single universal signature. Instead, authority usually flows through several roles:

• Records owner or program office — confirms the records are eligible (the retention period has lapsed and they serve no further business need).
• Records manager or records officer — verifies the disposition matches an approved schedule and that no exceptions apply.
• Legal counsel — confirms no litigation hold, audit, investigation, or legal obligation requires the records to be preserved.
• A senior official — provides final authorization, often required for permanent or sensitive records.

In federal agencies, schedules themselves must be approved by the National Archives (NARA) before records can be destroyed, so the agency’s authority to dispose is layered on top of an external approval.

How many approvals a certificate needs

There is no fixed number mandated across the board. A certificate of destruction is the record that proves disposition happened properly, and most programs require at least two independent sign-offs rather than one — commonly the records manager plus a legal or supervisory approver. This separation of duties prevents a single person from unilaterally destroying records and creates an audit trail.

A sound destruction certificate typically captures:

• A description of the records and the schedule item authorizing destruction.
• Date range and volume.
• The destruction method (shredding, pulping, secure electronic wiping).
• Confirmation that no legal hold applies.
• Signatures and dates from each required approver.

The bottom line

Check your own organization’s policy for the exact roles and number of signatures — these are set by internal policy and applicable law, not by a one-size-fits-all rule. The constant is multiple, documented approvals plus a verified, schedule-based authorization.

For more on building defensible schedules and disposition practices, see the retention and disposition topic hub.