# all personnel records relevant to the charge or action — How long federal regulations require records to be kept: retention periods, what starts the clock, and who they bind

For all personnel records relevant to the charge or action, regulation is 29 CFR 1602.14; regulator / programme is EEOC; retention period is until final disposition of the charge or the action; when the clock starts is where a charge of discrimination has been filed, or an action brought by the Commission or the Attorney General; who it binds is the respondent employer, recorded from its source on 2026-08-11.

- **Regulation:** 29 CFR 1602.14 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Regulator / programme:** EEOC _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Record type:** all personnel records relevant to the charge or action _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Retention period:** until final disposition of the charge or the action _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **When the clock starts:** where a charge of discrimination has been filed, or an action brought by the Commission or the Attorney General _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Who it binds:** the respondent employer _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Exceptions and notes:** the date of final disposition means the date of expiration of the statutory period within which the aggrieved person may bring an action in a U.S. District Court or, where an action is brought, the date on which such litigation is terminated

## What the source says

> Where a charge of discrimination has been filed, or an action brought by the Commission or the Attorney General, against an employer under title VII, the ADA, or GINA, the respondent employer shall preserve all personnel records relevant to the charge or action until final disposition of the charge or the action.

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1602/subpart-C/section-1602.14

Last verified: 2026-08-11. Review by: 2027-08-11.
Part of [How long federal regulations require records to be kept: retention periods, what starts the clock, and who they bind](https://referencesource.org/record-retention-periods-federal/).