What Documents to Scan, Store or Shred Before an Office Move?
Last Updated on September 10, 2026
Before relocating an office, scan records that benefit from digital access, store originals that still need to be preserved, and securely shred records whose destruction has been authorized. If a record’s status is unclear, keep it secure until an authorized reviewer makes the decision.
Moving offices often reveals years of accumulated filing cabinets, archive boxes, and departmental paperwork. Packing everything transfers the same records problem to a new address. Reviewing the collection first helps you decide what still needs to exist, in which format, and for how long.
Base each decision on four questions:
- How is the record still used?
- How long must it be retained?
- Does the physical original have continuing value or a retention requirement?
- Has destruction been authorized, with any holds or restrictions resolved?
Scanning a document does not automatically authorize shredding the original. Digital access, physical preservation, and record destruction are related but separate decisions.
Scan, Store or Shred: Quick Decision Guide
| Record situation | Likely direction | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Records are still needed, and electronic access would improve retrieval. | Scan | Define scanning requirements and decide separately what happens to the originals. |
| Physical originals have a continuing purpose or must be retained. | Store | Document their location, access controls, and retention requirements. |
| Digital access is useful, but the originals must remain available. | Scan and store | Link the digital files to the location of the physical originals. |
| The retention period has ended, and destruction is authorized. | Securely shred | Confirm that no hold or other restriction prevents destruction. |
| Ownership, retention status, or disposition authority is unclear. | Hold for review | Assign an authorized reviewer before taking irreversible action. |
Start With Retention Requirements Before the Moving Date
Group related records by department, business function, or record series before deciding what to scan or shred. This makes it easier to apply consistent rules across a collection instead of making isolated decisions for individual folders.
Identify the applicable retention period and the event that starts it. Depending on the record type, that event might be a case closing, a contract ending, or a record being superseded. Do not assume the office move starts or resets the retention clock.
For federal agencies, an approved records schedule establishes whether records may be destroyed or must be preserved permanently. The National Archives explains this process in its records scheduling guidance. Other organizations need to identify the legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal requirements that apply to their own records.
If those rules have not been organized, start with the eRecordsUSA guide on creating a record retention schedule before digitization.
Retention Review Checklist
- Identify the owner and record type.
- Confirm the applicable retention rule and trigger event.
- Determine whether the retention period has ended.
- Check for legal holds, audits, investigations, or other preservation requirements.
- Document the approved next step for the record group.
Which Business Records Should You Scan Before an Office Move?
Prioritize records that still need to be retained and would become easier to retrieve, share, or use in digital form. A record should be selected for scanning because electronic access serves a practical purpose.
1. Records Employees Retrieve Regularly
Frequently used client files, project documentation, and operational records can keep employees dependent on cabinets and file rooms. Converting approved collections through professional document scanning services can reduce repeated paper handling and make information easier to locate after the move.
2. Records Needed Across Multiple Locations
Digital access can help when authorized employees in different departments, branch offices, or remote locations need the same information. Before scanning, decide where files will be stored, who may access them, and how they will be named and organized.
3. Records That Need Searchable Text or Structured Indexing
A scanned image alone may not solve a retrieval problem. Collections that require keyword searches or extraction of specific fields may benefit from OCR and data capture services. Index fields such as customer name, document date, or project number can help employees find the right file.
Include quality checks in the project: confirm that pages are complete and readable, file names and index fields are correct, and users can retrieve the delivered files. OCR output should be checked where accuracy matters, particularly for names, dates, and numbers.
Which Physical Records Should Remain in Storage?
Keep physical records when the original still serves a purpose or must be retained in that form. Preserving a document’s information and preserving the physical document itself are different needs.
1. Originals With Continuing Value
An original may have legal, contractual, evidentiary, archival, historical, or preservation value. Confirm whether a digital version can serve as an acceptable replacement before approving disposal of the source document.
2. Rarely Accessed Records That Still Require Retention
Some records must remain available for years but are seldom requested. When physical retention is appropriate and retrieval demand is low, controlled storage may be a practical option. Assess the collection’s retention needs separately from the potential benefits of digital access.
3. Records Awaiting a Decision About Their Originals
If authority to dispose of a source document is unclear, keep it securely stored while the question is resolved. A completed scan does not settle the issue.
For federal records, the National Archives’ records management basics distinguish source records from digitized records and explain that disposition depends on the applicable requirements and authority.
When Can Office Records Be Securely Shredded?
Records can move toward destruction when their applicable retention requirements have been satisfied, no hold or restriction prevents disposal, and an authorized decision-maker has approved the action. The office move itself does not provide that authority.
Disposing of paper after scanning is a separate situation. Where applicable requirements permit an accepted digital replacement, the paper source may be eligible for disposal while the digital record continues through its required retention period. Confirm the replacement requirements, complete the necessary quality checks, and obtain authorization before shredding the paper.
1. Separate Official Records From Convenience Copies
Duplicate-looking files are not always disposable. A copy may document a separate business activity or contain annotations that are absent from the main file. Confirm its purpose and check applicable holds before treating it as an unnecessary reference copy.
2. Choose a Destruction Method Appropriate for the Information
Approved confidential paper should enter a controlled destruction process. The FTC’s consumer report disposal guidance identifies shredding, pulverizing, or burning paper so that the information cannot be read or reconstructed as examples of reasonable disposal measures.
For protected health information, HHS disposal guidance similarly describes methods that make paper records unreadable and prevent reconstruction. The appropriate safeguards depend on the information and the organization’s circumstances.
Once confidential records are approved for disposal, secure document shredding services can support their destruction. Keep documentation identifying the records destroyed, the approval, and the destruction date and method.
For department-specific planning, review the guide to shredding HR and finance records before an office move.
Can You Scan Records and Keep the Originals?
Yes. Scan and store is a useful option when employees need electronic access but the physical original must remain available.
- Digital version: Supports authorized access, search, and everyday retrieval.
- Physical original: Supports required retention or continuing preservation needs.
Use consistent identifiers to connect the digital file with its physical location. Apply appropriate access controls and retention instructions to both versions so neither becomes an unmanaged copy.
What Should You Do With Records You Cannot Classify?
Place records with unclear ownership, retention status, or destruction authority in a secure review group. Assign them to the relevant department owner, records manager, legal team, or compliance representative.
Label the boxes clearly, record their contents and location, and set a review date. If the decision cannot be completed before relocation, arrange secure temporary storage and track the transfer.
Turn the Records Review Into an Office-Move Plan
Once each record group has an approved direction, coordinate the work with the relocation schedule:
- Inventory and label: Record ownership, contents, date ranges, and box or cabinet identifiers.
- Separate the approved groups: Distinguish scanning, storage, destruction, and unresolved review collections.
- Plan access during scanning: Identify files employees may need while the project is underway.
- Verify digital delivery: Review completeness, readability, indexing, and retrieval before accepting the files.
- Track final actions: Record storage locations, transfers, approvals, and completed destruction.
For a suggested project sequence, use the eRecordsUSA six-week document scanning plan before an office move and adjust it to your collection size and relocation deadline.
The Pre-Move “Audit Workflow” Map: A Step-by-Step Document Inventory Strategy
[ Stage 1: Centralized Inventory ]
│
▼
[ Stage 2: Compliance & Retention Check ]
│
▼
[ Stage 3: Triaging & Categorization ] ──► (Hold for Review / Unclassified)
│
▼
[ Stage 4: Secure Data Processing ] ───► (Bulk Scanning / Offsite Storage / Shredding)
│
▼
[ Stage 5: Final Quality Verification ]Stage 1: Centralized Information Inventory
- Locate all physical data hubs: Do not limit your audit to the primary records room. Search departmental filing cabinets, executive desk drawers, deep storage closets, and individual desks.
- Assign systematic identifiers: Create an internal tracking spreadsheet. Log every cabinet, box, and loose record series with its original location and department owner.
Stage 2: Compliance, Legal, and Corporate Retention Audit
- Verify statutory timelines: Cross-reference every document group against state, federal, or industry-specific corporate retention schedules (such as IRS tax rules, HIPAA protocols, or NARA standards).
- Check for active legal holds: Ensure no document series is subject to a current audit, active lawsuit, or pending investigation before confirming its disposition.
Stage 3: Triaging and Categorization (The “Bucket” Strategy)
- Scan (Digitization): Files with low physical value but high retrieval demand.
- Store (Archival): Documents with statutory physical retention mandates but very low retrieval demand.
- Scan + Store (Hybrid): High-security files needing digital ease of access alongside physical legal preservation.
- Secure Shredding (Destruction): Expired files with authorized disposal sign-offs.
Stage 4: Secure Processing and Operational Transport
- Isolate unclassified files: If ownership or retention status cannot be confirmed immediately, route the files to a secure “Hold for Review” zone rather than rushing a decision.
- Enforce secure chains of custody: Seal your approved shredding and storage boxes in serialized, locked bins to prevent information exposure in high-traffic office hallways during packing.
Stage 5: Final Quality Verification and Sign-Off
- Validate the digital transfer: Before authorized shredding takes place, cross-check the digital deliverables for OCR accuracy, readable text quality, and precise index mapping.
- Log the certificates of destruction: File your final destruction receipts alongside your corporate relocation records to ensure a clean trail for future external audits.
Make the Records Decision Before Moving the Paper
An office relocation is an opportunity to reduce unnecessary paper and improve access to the records your business still needs. Review retention first, choose the appropriate format, and document what happens to each collection.
eRecordsUSA can support the digitization of approved business records from file rooms, cabinets, and boxed archives. Project scope can include scanning, OCR, indexing, and digital delivery based on your retrieval requirements.
To discuss your collection and moving deadline, request a document scanning estimate, call 1.510.900.8800, or email he***@*********sa.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should approve record destruction before an office move?
The person or team authorized under your organization’s records policy should approve destruction. Depending on the record type, this may require review by the records owner, records manager, legal team, or compliance function.
What if retention decisions are not finished before moving day?
Keep unresolved records in secure temporary storage, document their location, and assign a reviewer. A relocation deadline should not replace a retention or destruction decision.
Should records be organized before deciding what to scan or shred?
Yes. Grouping files by department, record type, date range, or business function helps reviewers apply consistent retention rules and identify collections that need separate handling.
Can records from closed departments or former employees be shredded?
Their inactive status alone does not authorize destruction. Review them against the applicable retention requirements and any holds, just as you would records from an active department.
Can paper originals be shredded immediately after scanning?
Only when the applicable requirements permit source disposal, the digital replacement has passed the required checks, no hold requires preservation of the original, and disposal is authorized. Otherwise, retain the paper while the decision is reviewed.