# the records specified by these regulations — How long federal regulations require records to be kept: retention periods, what starts the clock, and who they bind

For the records specified by these regulations, regulation is 29 CFR 825.500; regulator / programme is DOL Wage and Hour (FMLA); retention period is no less than three years; who it binds is employers; exceptions and notes is records relating to certifications, recertifications or medical histories of employees or employees' family members, created for purposes of FMLA, shall be maintained as confidential medical records in separate files/records from the usual personnel files, recorded from its source on 2026-08-11.

- **Regulation:** 29 CFR 825.500 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Regulator / programme:** DOL Wage and Hour (FMLA) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Record type:** the records specified by these regulations _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Retention period:** no less than three years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Who it binds:** employers _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Exceptions and notes:** records relating to certifications, recertifications or medical histories of employees or employees' family members, created for purposes of FMLA, shall be maintained as confidential medical records in separate files/records from the usual personnel files

## What the source says

> However, employers must keep the records specified by these regulations for no less than three years and make them available for inspection, copying, and transcription by representatives of the Department of Labor upon request.

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-825/subpart-E/section-825.500

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/).