39 CFR § 262.6 - Retention and disposal.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t39/s262.6"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "39 CFR § 262.6 - Retention and disposal."
title_number: 39
title_name: "Postal Service"
section_number: "262.6"
section_name: "Retention and disposal."
chapter_name: "UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE"
subchapter_number: "D"
subchapter_name: "ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION"
part_number: "262"
part_name: "RECORDS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT DEFINITIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "5 U.S.C. 552, 552a; 39 U.S.C. 401."
regulatory_source: "49 FR 30693, Aug. 1, 1984, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "262"
---


# 262.6 Retention and disposal.

(a) *Records control schedule.* A directive describing records series that are maintained by components of the Postal Service; it provides maintenance, retention, transfer, and disposal instructions for each series listed, and serves as the authority for Postal officials to implement such instructions.

(b) *Disposal (records).* The permanent removal of records or information from Postal Service custody; included are:

(1) Transfer to the National Archives.

(2) Donation to the Smithsonian Institution, local museums or historical societies.

(3) Sale as waste material.

(4) Discarding.

(5) Physical destruction.

(c) *Retention period.* The authorized length of time that a records series must be kept before its disposal, usually stated in terms of months or years, but sometimes expressed as contingent upon the occurrence of an event; usually the retention period refers to the period of time between the creation of a series and its authorized disposal date; however, in some cases it refers to the length of time between the cutoff point and the disposal date.