North Carolina § 132-3 Destruction of records regulated

North Carolina Statutes

§ 132-3 — Destruction of records regulated

North Carolina § 132-3

Ch. 132Public Records

This text of North Carolina § 132-3 (Destruction of records regulated) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-3 (2026).

Text

(a)Prohibition. - No public official may destroy, sell, loan, or otherwise dispose of any public record, except in accordance with G.S. 121-5 and G.S. 130A-99, without the consent of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Whoever unlawfully removes a public record from the office where it is usually kept, or alters, defaces, mutilates or destroys it shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and upon conviction only fined not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).

(b)Revenue Records. - Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and G.S. 121-5, when a record of the Department of Revenue has been copied in any manner, the original record may be destroyed upon the order of the Secretary of Revenue. If a record of the Department of Revenue h

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

(a) Prohibition. - No public official may destroy, sell, loan, or otherwise dispose of any public record, except in accordance with G.S. 121-5 and G.S. 130A-99, without the consent of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Whoever unlawfully removes a public record from the office where it is usually kept, or alters, defaces, mutilates or destroys it shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and upon conviction only fined not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(b) Revenue Records. - Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and G.S. 121-5, when a record of the Department of Revenue has been copied in any manner, the original record may be destroyed upon the order of the Secretary of Revenue. If a record of the Department of Revenue has not been copied, the original record shall be preserved for at least three years. After three years the original record may be destroyed upon the order of the Secretary of Revenue.
(c) Employment Security Records. - Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and G.S. 121-5, when a record of the Division of Employment Security has been copied in any manner, the original record may be destroyed upon the order of the Division. If a record of that Division has not been copied, the original record shall be preserved for at least three years. After three years the original record may be destroyed upon the order of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce. (1935, c. 265, s. 3; 1943, c. 237; 1953, c. 675, s. 17; 1957, c. 330, s. 2; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1993, c. 485, s. 39; c. 539, s. 966; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1997-309, s. 12; 2001-115, s. 2; 2011-401, s. 3.16; 2015-241, s. 14.30(s).)