Washington Administrative Code

A de facto standard is a widely accepted industry standard without official recognition by a standards group.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 40.14 RCW. WSR 94-04-102, § 434-663-260, filed 2/1/94, effective 3/7/94.]

A group of records that are created, used, filed, and disposed of as a unit because they relate to a particular subject or function, result from the same activity, or document a specific kind of transaction.[Statutory Authority: RCW 40.14.020(6). WSR 00-20-038, § 434-663-270, fil…

Ensuring the quality of digitized images requires exercising control over the conversion of the original image to digital data, enhancement of the digital image if necessary, compression of the digital data for storage, decompression of digital data for retrieval, displaying the …

Bitonal images of documents containing type fonts no smaller than six-point shall be scanned at a minimum density of 200 dots per inch (dpi). Bitonal images of documents containing type fonts smaller than six-point, engineering drawings, maps, and similar documents with fine deta…

Electronic imaging systems for bitonal images shall use the Consultative Committee on International Telegraphy and Telephony (CCITT) Group 3 or Group 4 compression and decompression techniques without proprietary alterations to the algorithm. For the storage of electronic images …

Ensuring the usability of digital images to serve the functions for which they were designed involves long-term commitment to an open systems architecture and an approach to component upgrading, data transfer, and migration path that guarantees the portability of current data to …

Detailed technical documentation is needed to facilitate future system access. Minimum documentation must include:(1) A hardware systems administrator manual specifying hardware, cabling, and communications configurations;(2) Software applications documentation, including user ma…

Conversion to an imaging system does not automatically authorize the destruction of the source documents for which images have been created. Destruction of, or changes to the retention period of, any public records due to conversion to or the use of a new media requires legal app…

The required retention scheduling of public records to be created, maintained, accessed, distributed, or preserved by government entities on electronic imaging systems should be done prior to the creation or copying of images of those records. Retention schedules shall be based o…

State agencies intending to utilize an imaging system for the storage or conversion of public records must include such plans in their biennial information technology plan submitted to the department of information services and comply with other requirements of DIS as may apply.[…

Public records that are designated "archival" or "potentially archival" by the state or local records committee may not be destroyed without committee approval, even where images of those records have been produced and stored on an electronic imaging system.[Statutory Authority: …

Maintaining access to and usability of electronic records requires the ability to process images and indexes both on the computer system on which they were created and on their replacement computer systems without loss of information for the full retention period approved for tha…

Electronic imaging systems must have the following security and retention features or capabilities:(1) Tracking information at the records series level.(2) Ability to properly eliminate or dispose of records that exceed their retention periods as established under RCW 40.14.050 t…

The selection of indexing methods and terms should be based on an analysis of the retrieval requirements associated with a particular application, and must ensure efficient and accurate retrieval of images and information. The design and content of the index should utilize standa…

For an electronic image system containing public records with a retention period of ten years or longer or records containing archival information, one or more of the following preservation strategies must be employed:(1) Retain the original paper documents; (2) Microfilm the ori…

An electronic imaging system containing public records with a retention period of ten years or longer or records containing archival information must use a nonproprietary file header format such as Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) or a header that complies with ANSI-AIIM MS53, Fil…

Security backup copies must be made of electronic imaging system records stored on electronic media. The methods and frequency of backup should be determined by the amount of information that would be lost if data had to be restored using the previous backup. Since backup copies …

At a minimum, the system must include an electronic error checking utility that will check the integrity of the data when written to the media.[Statutory Authority: RCW 40.14.020(6). WSR 00-20-038, recodified as § 434-663-750, filed 9/28/00, effective 10/29/00. Statutory Authorit…

Electronic media should be stored in a dust-free environment under the following environmental conditions:(1) Temperature ranges meeting standards or best practices recommended for the media stored;(2) A relative humidity range meeting standards or best practices recommended for …

If access to data in an existing electronic imaging system cannot be maintained for the specified retention period of the records stored in that system, the images must be migrated, without loss to the images or indexes, at the time of acquisition or implementation of a new syste…

The adoption of new electronic imaging systems may require significant expenditures for conversion of information maintained in existing electronic formats to the formats required by new imaging systems. System planning should include analysis of future information access, mainte…

The local records grant program, administered in the office of the secretary of state by the Washington state archives, provides financial assistance to local governments to support records management and preservation efforts, to improve records retention compliance, and to provi…

(1) The following activities including, but not limited to, are eligible for support through the local records grant program administered pursuant to this chapter:(a) Records management;(b) Preservation;(c) Conservation;(d) Professional consultants;(e) Technology hardware and/or …

Local government agencies, include every county, city, town, municipal corporation, quasi-municipal corporation, special purpose district, or any office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or agency thereof, are eligible to apply for local records grant program gran…

(1) Washington state archives staff will review applications for completeness, conformity to application requirements, soundness of budget, relevancy to the objectives of the local records grant program, and potential for widespread citizen use, research value and value for ongoi…

In order to be complete, an application must include:(1) Identification of the local government entity;(2) Project personnel;(3) Description of the project (goals, objectives, and final results);(4) An analysis of the project plan;(5) Documentary evidence for the need of the proj…

(1) Local records grant program grants will be awarded annually on the state fiscal year cycle (July – June) and must be completed in the awarded biennium, or fiscal year if awarded for the second half of the biennium.(2) The local records grant program application and reporting …

Specific requirements for the Washington state archives local records grant program are:(1) Archives staff may visit the worksite for review at any time during the project.(2) Unless otherwise approved, grants will be cost-reimbursement grants.(3) Proposed changes in the approved…

(1) The Washington state archives oversight committee will not consider a proposal where a committee member derives compensation from the proposed local records grant program grant.(2) A committee member shall abstain from reviewing or voting on proposals if she/he is directly or…

Security microfilm is generated to protect records identified as essential to the continuity of state and local government, or as otherwise provided by law. Reference: Chapter 40.10 RCW.[Statutory Authority: RCW 40.14.020. WSR 92-08-020, § 434-677-010, filed 3/20/92, effective 4/…

Security microfilm shall be stored offsite from the original records, working copies of the microfilm, or other media containing the same information or documents. Security microfilm shall be stored in facilities under the public domain. Storage must meet atmospheric, fire, and s…

State agencies shall store security microfilm in facilities provided by the division of archives and records management. Local agencies may store security microfilm with the division of archives or at other sites which meet archival microfilm vault storage standards.[Statutory Au…

Microfilm accepted for security storage will be retained per records retention schedules approved by the state or local records committee established in accord with chapter 40.14 RCW or per agency-approved essential records schedules established in accord with chapter 40.10 RCW. …

Access to security microfilm stored by the state archives is restricted to authorized staff of the state archives for purposes of filing, inventory, inspection maintenance and approved duplication; and to authorized staff of the office of record depositing the film, for purposes …

Security microfilm is for use only as a master for authorized film duplication. Security microfilm will not be removed from the state archives storage facility except for permanent return to the agency of origin upon a sixty-day notification by the agency or the division of archi…

Security microfilm will be inspected upon receipt for film type, condition, density, and resolution quality. Security microfilm shall be spot checked throughout its storage life for evidence of deterioration. Agencies will be notified of substandard film and advised of recommende…

The division reserves the right to refuse or return microfilm sent for security storage under certain conditions including the following:(1) The film is not the silver halide camera negative or first copy positive.(2) The film does not meet state quality standards for density and…

The purpose of this chapter shall be to ensure compliance by the office of the secretary of state, division of archives and records management with the provisions of chapter 1, Laws of 1973 (Initiative 276), Disclosure—Campaign finances—Lobbying—Records; and in particular with se…

Division of archives and records management. The division is an administrative service and regulatory agency. The administrative office of the division and its staff are located at the Archives and Records Center Building, Olympia, Washington.[Statutory Authority: RCW 42.17.250. …

The division of archives and records management is the primary archival and records management agency of Washington state government. The division is organized as depicted in Appendix A. Through its several sections, operating units, and regional offices it carries on the functio…

All public records of the division as defined in WAC 434-15-610 are deemed to be available for public inspection and copying pursuant to these rules, except as otherwise provided by RCW 42.17.310 and WAC 434-690-100.[Statutory Authority: RCW 42.17.250. WSR 91-23-024, § 434-690-04…

(1) The divisional records shall be in the charge of the public records officer designated by the secretary of state. The person so designated shall be located in the administrative office of the secretary of state. The public records officer shall be responsible for the followin…

Divisional records, archives and scheduled records shall be available for inspection and copying during the customary office hours of the division. For the purposes of this chapter, the customary office hours shall be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding …

In accordance with requirements of chapter 42.17 RCW that agencies prevent unreasonable invasions of privacy, protect public records from damage or disorganization and prevent excessive interference with essential functions of the agency, public records may be inspected or copied…

(1) No fee shall be charged for the inspection of public records.(2) No fees shall be charged for records search and retrieval services.(3) The division may impose a reasonable charge for providing copies of public records, regardless of media, and for the use by any person of di…

(1) The division reserves the right to determine that a public record or archive record requested in accordance with the procedures outlined in WAC 434-690-070 is exempt under the provisions of RCW 42.17.310.(2) In addition, pursuant to RCW 42.17.310, the division reserves the ri…

(1) Any person who objects to the denial of a request for a public record may petition for prompt review of such decision by tendering a written request for review. The written request shall specifically refer to the written statement by the public records officer or other staff …