The following criteria must be met in order for non-permanent records to be eligible for transfer to the Maryland State Records Center (SRC):
- Records fall within a specific Item Number on the applicable MDH Records Retention Schedule.
- The event date that triggers the records retention period has occurred. The event date is the date from which the retention period is calculated, i.e. audit requirements are fulfilled or the records have been held in office for the required time.
- Records have a minimum of one year of its retention period remaining.
Completing the Records Transmittal and Receipt Form (DGS Form 550-5)
Records destined for SRC storage must be listed on a Records Transmittal and Receipt Form (DGS Form 550-5, records transmittal form). The records transmittal form is the official document used as a notification for the SRC, as a shipping document, receipt, and warehouse locator. The form identifies the Records Retention Schedule, Item Number, Item Description(s), Disposal Date, and the amount of space needed for records storage within the SRC.
When completing the Records Transmittal Form, remember:
One Box, One Item, One Year: Each box should only contain one disposal schedule Item with the same “trigger” date.
Transmittal forms may contain more than one item within a disposal schedule if these items have the same disposal date.
All MDH Programs (headquarters and non-headquarters) must submit completed transmittal forms to mdh.recordsoffice@maryland.gov for review. The MDH Records Office will generate the required transmittal form coversheet and batch number(s), and submit transmittal form requests to SRC for review and approval. Inaccurate and incomplete transmittal forms will be returned to the requestor for corrections.
The MDH Records Office will coordinate records pick-ups and deliveries for MDH Headquarters Units.
MDH Non-headquarters Programs (LHDs, hospitals, residential centers, and certain facilities and programs) are responsible for coordinating records pick-ups and deliveries to the SRC with their preferred vendor or in-house facilities personnel.
All MDH Administrations (headquarters and non-headquarters) should contact the Records Management Office with any transmittal questions or concerns.
Preparing Non-Permanent Paper Records for Transfer
Follow these steps to prepare the approved records for transfer:
- If you do not have State-issued records boxes, complete an MCE Credit Card Order Form and upload it to the MCE PO Submission Form.
- Leave the “Customer #”, “CP #” and “Credit Card Spending Limit” lines blank.
- The model number for the boxes is 123Q001.
- Assemble boxes.
Pack, organize, and label boxes according to DGS recommendations.
Contact the Records Office with any questions or concerns.
Note: The SRC disposes of non-permanent records in January and July of each calendar year. When calculating a disposal date, the next available disposal date must be used. Example: If records can be disposed of on April 1, 2023, the records will be disposed of on July 1, 2023. The SRC may modify the disposal date based on when records are actually transferred to the SRC.
Requesting Records from SRC
MDH Programs should go through the MDH Records Office to request their Program’s records from SRC. Complete the 
Records Request Form - DGS 550-8.pdf and email it to mdh.recordsoffice@maryland.gov once completed. All form entries must be typed.
