Department of Records and Information Services

NYC Charter ch. 72

in effect

NYC Charter § 3000 Department; commissioner.

Section 3000. Department; commissioner. There shall be a department of records and information services which shall include, but not be limited to, municipal archives, a municipal reference and research center and municipal records management division. The head of the department shall be the commissioner, who shall be appointed by the mayor.

NYC Charter § 3001 Deputy.

Section 3001. Deputy. The commissioner may appoint one deputy.

NYC Charter § 3002 Technical assistants.

Section 3002. Technical assistants. Editor's note: bracketed out of law at General Election, November 8, 1988.

NYC Charter § 3003 Powers and duties.

Section 3003. Powers and duties. The commissioner: 1. shall be the chief archivist of the city and shall advise the mayor, borough presidents and council on those matters concerning the preservation of the city's historical documentation; 2. shall act as the chief reference and research librarian for the mayor, borough presidents and council and shall ensure that all significant research material pertaining to the operations of the city as well as other municipalities shall be preserved and readily available for use; 3. shall act as the chief public records officer for the mayor, borough presidents and council and shall, except as otherwise provided by law, establish standards for the proper records management in any agency or government instrumentality funded in whole or in part from local tax levy monies, and 4. shall have the power to exercise or delegate any of the functions and duties vested in such commissioner by law, subject to the provisions of subdivision five of this section. 5. In addition to the above duties, the commissioner shall ensure the city's custody and control of city records as follows: a. Pursuant to an approved records disposition schedule as set forth in section eleven hundred thirty-three of this charter, the commissioner shall ensure that the records of any city officer or agency that are of historical, research, cultural or other important value shall be delivered directly to the department's municipal archives. Upon delivery, the department shall begin to review such records and publish a survey of such records with appropriate specificity, and, to the extent practicable, the contents of such records. Where the commissioner has certified in writing as to its necessity, under extraordinary circumstances, such records may be transferred to an archival establishment to be organized and prepared for archival preservation, provided that such establishment meets the specific requirements specified in paragraph b of this subdivision. b. If the commissioner decides that it is necessary to enter into an agreement or contract with another archival establishment outside the department, to organize and prepare records for archival preservation, it may not be with a private entity as defined by this chapter, and may not be with any entity outside the city. The commissioner shall include with the agreement or contract a plan for strictly monitoring the status and progress of the archiving operations. The commissioner shall devise and publish such plan, which shall include at least the following: (i) a list of the tasks to be conducted and a timetable for the completion of each such task; (ii) a description of the resources, staffing and training dedicated by the archival establishment to carrying out such tasks; (iii) allowances for direct supervision by department archivists; and (iv) an agreement by the archival establishment to issue, at a minimum, quarterly reports of its activities to the commissioner. The commissioner shall also include with such agreement and publish a schedule, where applicable, for the municipal archives to send original records to such archival establishment and to receive such records when processing is completed. To the extent practicable, such schedule shall take into account that original records should be sent in a limited and controlled manner and that no new such original records should be sent until receipt of any previously sent under such schedule. Any such agreement, contract, plan and schedule must be approved by the law department for compliance with this subdivision. The commissioner will at all times remain responsible for the proper handling and archiving of records, notwithstanding any agreement with an archival establishment outside the department. c. No agreement provided for in subdivision five of this section shall be entered into during the term of office of any elected official of the city with regard to whose records such agreement applies. d. Nothing in this subdivision shall prevent officers or members of such officer's administration from donating money to the department's municipal archives or other archival establishment so long as such officers or members are not involved in the supervision, control or management of the archival processing pertaining to their respective administrations. e. Nothing in this subdivision should be construed to limit access by the public to city records. The department shall be responsible for granting access to records in accordance with applicable provisions of law. Additionally, agencies of the city shall have free access to such records as needed. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 2003/022.

NYC Charter § 3004 Department; duties.

Section 3004. Department; duties. 1. The department shall operate a municipal archives, the head of which shall be a professional archivist. The archives shall perform the following functions: a. develop and promulgate standards, procedures and techniques with regard to archives management; b. make continuing surveys of existing records to determine the most suitable methods to be used for the creating, maintaining, storing and servicing of archival material; c. preserve and receive all city records of historical, research, cultural or other important value; d. appraise, accession, classify, arrange and make available for reference all records which come into the possession of the archives and e. establish and maintain an archives depository for the storage, conservation, processing and servicing of records. 2. The department shall operate a municipal reference and research center, the head of which shall be a professional librarian. The center shall perform the following functions: a. provide information and assistance to the mayor, the board of estimate, members of committees thereof and administrative officers of the city in connection with problems of municipal administration and proposed legislation; b. provide legislative reference assistance to the council, its members and committees and maintain, in a legislative reference section, such records and papers as the council and city clerk may remand to its custody; c. maintain facilities which shall be open to the public wherein, subject to such reasonable regulation as may be prescribed, all books, reports, documents and other materials shall be available for public inspection; d. ensure that at least one copy of each report, document, study or publication of the city or any of its administrations, departments, boards or other agencies shall be available at the center at all times; e. collect, compile and maintain data and information pertaining to the operation of the city as well as other municipalities, governmental bodies and public authorities and arrange for the exchange, sale, purchase and loan of information materials from and with legislative and research services, libraries and institutions in other municipalities, governmental bodies and public authorities; f. ensure that each report, document, study or publication that is electronically transmitted to the department of records and information services pursuant to section 1133 of the charter is made available to the public on or through the website of the department, or its successor's website, within ten business days of publication, issuance, release or transmittal to the council or mayor; and g. maintain a publicly accessible and searchable online database that contains all publicly viewable content and metadata shared by an official government social media account. 3. The department shall: a. provide for the distribution of publications of the city, where such authority is not vested in another city agency, and issue at regular intervals, no less than quarterly, a bulletin describing its facilities and resources; b. institute actions in replevin to recover any historical and/or other documents properly owned by, or originating from, the city of New York; c. report annually by the thirtieth day of September to the mayor and city council on the powers and duties herein mentioned including, but not limited to, the cost of savings effectuated by the department during the preceding fiscal year. This report shall further include an evaluation of compliance with the requirements of subdivision a of section 1133 of the charter. 4. The department shall operate a municipal records management division, the head of which shall be a professional records manager. The center shall perform the following functions: a. develop and promulgate standards, procedures and techniques in relation to records management; b. make continuing surveys of operations relating to records and recommend improvements in current records management practices, including the use of space, equipment and materials employed in the creation, maintenance, storage and servicing of records; c. establish standards for the preparation of schedules for the disposition of records, providing for the retention of records and archives of continuing value, and for the prompt and orderly disposal of records no longer possessing sufficient administrative, legal or fiscal value to warrant their further retention; and d. establish, maintain and operate facilities for the storage, processing and servicing of records for all city agencies pending their deposit in the municipal archives or their disposition in any manner as may be authorized by law. (Am. L.L. 2025/041, 4/11/2025, eff. 8/9/2025) Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 2003/011.

NYC Charter § 3005 Library and archival review advisory board.

Section 3005. Library and archival review advisory board. a. There shall be in the department a library and archival review advisory board which shall consist of 9 members; 3 of whom shall be appointed by the speaker, 5 of whom shall be appointed by the mayor, and 1 of whom shall be the commissioner, who shall serve ex officio as chairperson of the board. The mayor’s appointments shall include at least 1 professional archivist, 1 professional librarian, and 1 professional historian. Members of the library and archival review advisory board shall be entitled to reasonable expenses and shall be residents of the city. b. Members, other than the chair, shall serve for terms of 4 years from the date of appointment, provided that of those members first taking office, 1 appointed by the mayor and 1 appointed by the speaker shall be appointed for a 1 year term; 2 appointed by the mayor and 1 appointed by the speaker shall be appointed for a 2-year term; and 2 appointed by the mayor and 1 appointed by the speaker shall be appointed for a 3-year term. Members shall serve until their successors are appointed. Vacancies in appointed membership of the board shall be filled by appointment by whosoever was responsible for the original appointment. c. The board shall meet once every 120 days or upon the request of any of its members. d. Any member shall have complete access, with the concurrence of the commissioner, during work hours, to inspect and review any appraisal, organization, processing or archiving of city records in the custody of an entity with which an agreement has been entered into for the purposes specified in subdivision 5 of section 3003. The board may request and receive, from the department, assistance and data as may be necessary for the proper execution of its powers and duties. e. No later than December 31, 2026, and annually by December 31 thereafter, the board shall submit a report to the speaker of the council and the mayor on the development of municipal archives, reference and research services in the government and administration of the city, and the archival processing of any city papers during the year for which the report has been written. (Am. L.L. 2026/077, 4/9/2026, eff. 8/7/2026) Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 2003/022 and L.L. 2026/077.

NYC Charter § 3006 Destruction of other materials.

Section 3006. Destruction of other materials. Editor's note: became Section 1133(c).

NYC Charter § 3007 Departmental collections.

Section 3007. Departmental collections. The commissioner shall analyze the needs of each city agency, except the law department, with respect to the establishment and maintenance of any library or research facility therein, and make such recommendations as may be appropriate in the circumstances. (Am. L.L. 2026/077, 4/9/2026, eff. 8/7/2026) Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 2026/077.

NYC Charter § 3008 Rules and regulations.

Section 3008. Rules and regulations. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this chapter, except that rules and regulations relating to the disposal of records pursuant to section eleven hundred thirty-three shall be issued by the commissioner after consultation with the corporation counsel and the comptroller.

NYC Charter § 3009 Archives, reference and research advisory board. [Repealed] (Repealed L.L. 2026/077, 4/9/2026, eff. 8/7/2026) Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 2026/077.

NYC Charter § 3010 Municipal archives reference and research fund.

Section 3010. Municipal archives reference and research fund. 1. There is hereby established a municipal archives reference and research fund, which shall be credited with all sums appropriated therefor, donations made thereto, and proceeds from the disposition of personal property which is in the custody of the department and which the commissioner has determined is not a record which must be retained pursuant to law and is not necessary for archival, reference, or research purposes. Interest accruing on principal from all aforementioned sources also shall be credited to the fund. 2. The municipal archives reference and research fund established by this section shall be used, subject to the approval of the director of management and budget, by the department for purposes related to its library and archival research programs including, but not limited to, purchasing and conserving books and other records, financing lecture series and commissioning studies and articles.

NYC Charter § 3011 Definitions.

Section 3011. Definitions. As used in this chapter: 1. "Archives" means those official records which have been determined by the department to have sufficient historical or other value to warrant their continued preservation by the city; 2. "Records" means any documents, books, papers, photographs, sound recordings, machine readable materials or any other materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official city business. Library and museum materials made or acquired and preserved solely for reference or exhibition purposes, extra copies of documents preserved only for convenience of reference and stocks of publications are not included within the definition of records as used in this chapter; 3. "Records management" means the planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training, promoting and other managerial activities involved in records creation, records maintenance and use and records disposition, including but not limited to, the management of correspondence, forms, directives, reports, machine readable records, microfilms information retrieval, files, mail, vital records, equipment and supplies, office copiers, word processing and source data automation techniques, records preservation, records disposal and records centers or other storage facilities; 4. "Records management practices" means any system, procedure or technique followed with respect to effective records creation, records maintenance and use and records disposition; 5. "Records disposition" means: a. The removal by a city agency, in accordance with approved records retention schedules, of records no longer necessary for the conduct of business by such agency through removal methods which may include: (1) the disposal of temporary records by destruction or donation; (2) the transfer of records to the department, and (3) the transfer to the department of records determined to have historical or other sufficient value to warrant continued preservation and b. the transfer of records from one city agency to any other city agency; 6. "Records creation" means any process involved in producing any recorded information necessary to conduct the business of a city agency; 7. "Records management division" means an establishment maintained by the department primarily for the storage, servicing, security and processing of records which must be preserved for varying periods of time and need not be retained in office equipment or space and 8. "Servicing" means making information in records available to any city agency for official use or to the public. 9. "Private entity" means a for-profit or not-for-profit corporation, or non-governmental organization, but shall not include the City and State Universities of New York, public libraries, including the New York Public Library, and any college or university in the city. 10. “Social media platform” means a website or application that enables users to publish and share information. 11. “Official government social media account” means any account provided to the department of records and information services pursuant to section 23-202 of the administrative code. (Am. L.L. 2025/041, 4/11/2025, eff. 8/9/2025) Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 2003/022.

NYC Charter § 3012 Centralized freedom of information law request system.

Section 3012. Centralized freedom of information law request system. a. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: Agency. The term “agency” means a governmental entity of the city of New York subject to the requirements of article 6 of the public officers law. Request. The term “request” means a request for records made pursuant to article 6 of the public officers law. b. No later than 18 months after the effective date of the local law that added this section, the commissioner, in consultation with the department of information technology and telecommunications or any successor agencies, shall develop and maintain a portal to process requests, whether such requests are received through such portal or sent directly to an agency by any other method. Access to such portal shall be maintained on the department’s website, and such portal shall provide information documenting each step of the freedom of information law process for each request received, including the following information, which shall be in a machine-readable and externally-searchable format: 1. A unique identification number; 2. A title related to the content of such request; 3. The date such request was received by the applicable agency; 4. The date of such agency’s acknowledgment of receipt of such request; 5. The expected date of such agency’s response, as provided in such acknowledgment; 6. The number of extensions of time to respond indicated by the applicable agency to date; 7. The date of any determination made in response to such request; 8. Whether such request was granted in whole, granted in part and denied in part, or denied in whole; 9. If such request was denied in whole or in part, which specific exemption under subdivision 2 of section 87 of the public officers law or any other grounds cited as a basis for such denial; 10. If such request was denied in whole or in part, whether the agency determined there were no responsive records, if known; 11. The date of filing for any appeal of the final response; 12. The status of any appeal; 13. If the original denial was upheld in whole or in part on appeal, which specific exemptions under subdivision 2 of section 87 of the public officers law or any other grounds cited as a basis for such determination; 14. The total dollar amount of fees collected from the person who submitted such request; 15. The number of records that were produced, if any; and 16. A downloadable copy of records released in response to such request in a machine-readable format if one exists, except to the extent prohibited by New York city, New York state, or federal law, or to the extent that publication of such records would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, as described in subparagraphs i through viii of paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section 89 of the public officers law, or would be inconsistent with section 23-1202 of the administrative code. c. The portal developed and maintained pursuant to subdivision b of this section shall allow: 1. Agencies to receive and respond to requests from within the portal; 2. Agencies to upload digital files containing records responsive to a request in multiple formats; 3. Agencies and members of the public to track the progress of a request; 4. Members of the public to file requests on such portal; 5. The full text search of the content of all requests on such portal, to the extent practicable, and the ability to filter search results by agency and by the information described in paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 of subdivision b of this section; 6. The full text search of machine-readable records made available in response to a request on such portal and to which access is provided in accordance with paragraph 7 of this subdivision; 7. Access to electronic copies of records, regardless of form or format, sent in response to a request on such portal, provided that such access is consistent with New York city, New York state, and federal law and does not result in an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, as described in subparagraphs i through viii of paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section 89 of the public officers law, and provided further that such access shall be in accordance with section 23-1202 of the administrative code; 8. A person to elect to receive automated notifications of a determination or other action involving information required to be reported on such portal; 9. Access to a directory, which shall be prominently displayed on such portal, that includes the name, title, and contact information for each records access officer and records access appeals officer at each agency; and 10. Access to statistics on requests made through such portal, disaggregated by agency, including the status of each request and the aggregate number of monthly, yearly, and year-to-date requests received. d. The information required to be posted on the portal pursuant to paragraphs 1 through 10 of subdivision b of this section shall be posted with respect to each request as soon as practicable, but in no case more than 14 days after the occurrence of any determination regarding the release of records and any other action involving information required to be reported on such portal relating to a request. Records published pursuant to paragraph 16 of subdivision b of this section shall be posted 14 days after being made available to the requestor, except to the extent prohibited by New York city, New York state, or federal law, or to the extent that the release of such records would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, as described in subparagraphs i through viii of paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section 89 of the public officers law, or would be inconsistent with section 23-1202 of the administrative code. e. The website of every agency shall include a link to the portal developed and maintained pursuant to subdivision b of this section. f. The information provided on the portal developed and maintained pursuant to subdivision b of this section shall also be made available to the public on a city website through a web application program interface, provided that for information required pursuant to paragraph 16 of subdivision b, the department may instead provide a link to such information through such web application program interface. g. Upon receipt of a request by means other than the portal developed and maintained pursuant to subdivision b of this section, the receiving agency shall enter the request into such portal and shall track the progress of such request as required by subdivision c of this section. h. The department, in consultation with the mayor’s office of operations and as part of the mayor’s management report as required by section 12, shall develop performance indicators in connection with the statistical information required to be made available pursuant to paragraph 10 of subdivision c of this section. i. Within 180 days of the enactment of this local law, the department shall submit an implementation plan to the mayor and the speaker of the council. The plan shall describe the steps necessary to implement the requirements of this local law, and the standards for the tracking and filing of requests and responses to such requests. j. This section shall not be construed to create a private right of action to enforce the provisions set forth in this section. Failure to comply with this section shall not result in liability to the city or an agency or employee thereof. (L.L. 2025/199, 12/25/2025, eff. 12/25/2025) Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 2025/199.

Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCcharter/0-0-0-4357Fetched: 10/24/2026