How long do I have to keep orignal contracts?

[Robert Martin]

I have a huge file(s) of original contracts now, and said file(s) are still growing... Every contract is of course scanned in a digital form.

How long do I need to keep the old hard copy contracts? I guess I just feel awkward pitching an old wet ink signed contract in the trash... but with everything being digital now I should be good to start pitching??? Right?

[Robert Martin]

Do I even need a file for the hard copy originals anymore? Part of me says: "If you need them for 1 year, then you need them for 100 years". You never know when an old project file is going to come up, and need to be reviewed.

But at this point I don't know if I need the "hard copies" at all...

I would appreciate input. Thanks,

[jamesh1467]

10 years to be safe.

CCP § 337.15

Although scans should be fine and are admissible per the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. It's your call. It would probably need some kind of handwriting verification for the signature to matter if you have scans.

Also, for 337.15, it is from the completion of improvement, final deliverable, or recordation. Not the contract signature date.

I'm sure there are other opinions.

[Jim Frame]

I rarely get a paper contract anymore -- almost everything is signed and scanned, or digitally signed, whether it originated with me or my client. And the few that do come to me in paper form immediately get scanned and shredded, so I don't keep any paper contracts.

[Robert Martin]

I rarely get a paper contract anymore -- almost everything is signed and scanned, or digitally signed, whether it originated with me or my client. And the few that do come to me in paper form immediately get scanned and shredded, so I don't keep any paper contracts.

Thanks Jim, most of my new contracts are electronic also. I realized how silly it was for me to print the electronic contract and stick a hard copy in the "contract file"... at this point I guess I should probably throw all of those old ones away, after double checking that I have a scanned copy of the original.