Chapter 12 › IV. Documentation Retention Requirements

How long do we have to keep our FEMA project records?

FEMA term

Documentation retention requirements

Short answer

Subrecipients must keep all source documentation for each project for 3 years after the final expenditure report is transmitted. Recipients keep financial and program records for 3 years after submitting the final SF-425. Longer periods apply for property, audits, litigation and some state laws.

What FEMA requires

Retention can be longer for real property and equipment disposition, open audits or litigation.
State, local, tribal or territorial law may require longer retention.
For small projects under simplified procedures, keep source records for 3 years after the recipient certifies your last small project.

Documentation

A retention schedule by disaster and project, tied to the final expenditure report and SF-425 dates.

Watch out · Govstar practitioner advice

Retention runs from the end of the grant, not the disaster. Set retention by project, because a large disaster can stay open for many years.

Govstar summarizes FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide in plain language and links to the official text. Govstar is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. This is general guidance, not legal advice.