                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

REPRODUCTIONS OF RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS AND LEGAL STATUS THEREOF; DESTRUCTION OF
ORIGINALS (§ 15.2-1412)

Any locality may provide for the photographing or microphotographing, or the
recording by any other process which accurately reproduces or forms a durable
medium for reproducing the original of all or any part of the papers, records,
documents or other material kept by or in the charge of any department, agency
or institution of such locality in accordance with such standards and retention
schedules as may be issued in pursuance of § 42.1-82.

A reproduction thereof if substantially the same size as the original, when
satisfactorily identified, is as admissible in evidence as the original itself
in any judicial or administrative proceeding whether the original is in
existence or not, and an enlargement or facsimile of such reproduction is
likewise admissible in evidence if the original reproduction is in existence and
available for inspection under direction of the court. The introduction of a
reproduced record, enlargement or facsimile, does not preclude admission of the
original.

Whenever photographs or microphotographs have been made and put in conveniently
accessible files, and provision has been made for preserving, examining and
using the same, the locality may notify the Librarian of Virginia that it
intends to destroy the records and papers so photographed or microphotographed,
or any part thereof. If within sixty days the Librarian of Virginia has not
notified the locality that such records or papers should be retained, the
locality may destroy them. A locality may also, in its discretion, consult with
the locality&#8217;s librarian with reference to the advisability of destroying
any such records, papers, documents or other material because of any historical
significance or value.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 15-5.1; 1952, c. 289; 1958, c. 9; 1962, c. 623, §
15.1-8; 1966, c. 303; 1970, c. 225; 1979, c. 155; 1983, c. 419; 1997, c. 587;
1998, c. 427; 2012, c. 802.