Montana Title 2. Government Structure and Administration § 2-6-1114. Permanent records--agency responsibilities--state records center

(1) All permanent records no longer required in the current operation of the office where they are made or kept and all records of each agency or activity of the executive branch of state government that has been abolished or discontinued must be maintained by the agency or transferred to the state records center in accordance with approved records retention schedules.

(2) When records are transferred to the state records center, the transferring agency does not lose its rights of control and access. The state records center is merely a custodian of the agency records, and access is only by agency approval. Agency records for which the state records center acts as custodian may not be subpoenaed from the state records center but must be subpoenaed from the agency to which the records belong. The state records center may charge fees to cover the cost of records storage and servicing.

(3) Prior to transferring a permanent record to the state records center, the transferring agency shall consult with the state archivist to determine whether the record is also a historic record. If the record is found to be a historic record, it must be transferred to the Montana historical society in accordance with the provisions of 2-6-1112.