Disposition Orders

Disposition orders were issued by the former Public Records Advisory Board (PRAB) and its predecessors between the years of 1938 and 2008. The majority of disposition orders, if not all, were issued absent a formal records appraisal process and without a review or analysis of legal, administrative or archival recordkeeping requirements.

Due to the laws and administrative context in which the disposition orders were initially issued have changed, all remaining disposition orders still in use by a public agency will be transitioned to an agency or general record schedule no later than July 1, 2025.

Until that date, determining the continuing legal applicability of disposition orders to a public agency's current records, both paper and digital, is the responsibility of the public agency. 

Disposition orders have continuing value for providing evidence as to why certain records no longer exist and for proving authorization to destroy certain records had been granted pursuant to 1 V.S.A. § 317a and prior laws dating back to 1937.

Copies of disposition orders issued by the former Public Records Advisory Board (PRAB) and its predecessors between the years of 1938 and 2008 are available to public agencies and the public upon request.