republic-os/legal/us/code/title-44/chapter-21/section-2116.md

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LegalText	44 U.S.C. § 2116	Legal status of reproductions; official seal; fees for copies and reproductions	us	united_states_code	code_section	44	PUBLIC PRINTING AND DOCUMENTS	21	NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION	2116	44 U.S.C. § 2116	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc44@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t44/s2116	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-44/usc44.xml	5ed6939fee2c4ceda45a993c49f5bcaa8fd4a2d5d0aaf13c205a9f7c52133c16	2d7109056b4815718203e8d99c9ee6fe3ab744f578883b59654fe3adb211b4a0	34b78bb6b3d59aee649d796612347de1209ce59a2537a8fe877492f3a6df36a0	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

44 U.S.C. § 2116 - Legal status of reproductions; official seal; fees for copies and reproductions

Text

(a) When records that are required by statute to be retained indefinitely have been reproduced by photographic, microphotographic, digital, or other processes, in accordance with standards established by the Archivist the indefinite retention by the photographic, microphotographic, digital, or other reproductions constitutes compliance with the statutory requirement for the indefinite retention of the original records. The reproductions, as well as reproductions made under regulations to carry out chapter 21, 29, 31, and 33 of this title, shall have the same legal status as the originals.

(b) There shall be an official seal for the National Archives of the United States which shall be judicially noticed. When a copy or reproduction, furnished under this section, is authenticated by the official seal and certified by the Archivist, the copy or reproduction shall be admitted in evidence equally with the original from which it was made.

(c) The Archivist may charge a fee set to recover the costs for making or authenticating copies or reproductions of materials transferred to the Archivist’s custody. Such fee shall be fixed by the Archivist at a level which will recover, so far as practicable, all elements of such costs, and may, in the Archivist’s discretion, include increments for the estimated replacement cost of equipment. Such fees shall be paid into, administered, and expended as a part of the National Archives Trust Fund. The Archivist may not charge for making or authenticating copies or reproductions of materials for official use by the United States Government unless appropriations available to the Archivist for this purpose are insufficient to cover the cost of performing the work.

(Pub. L. 90–620, Oct. 22, 1968, 82 Stat. 1291, § 2112; Pub. L. 94–575, § 4(b), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2727; renumbered § 2116 and amended Pub. L. 98–497, title I, §§ 102(a)(1), 107(a)(9), title II, § 201, Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2280, 2286, 2292; Pub. L. 113–187, §§ 3(d), 8(1), Nov. 26, 2014, 128 Stat. 2008, 2011.)

Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on 44 U.S. Code, 1964 ed., § 399 (June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title V, § 509, as added Sept. 5, 1950, ch. 849, § 6(d), 64 Stat. 583).

Editorial Notes

Amendments2014—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 113–187, § 3(d), inserted “digital,” after “microphotographic,” in two places. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 113–187, § 8(1), substituted “the Archivist’s custody” for “his custody”. 1984—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98–497, § 107(a)(9)(A), substituted “Archivist” for “Administrator of General Services”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–497, § 107(a)(9)(B), substituted “Archivist” for “Administrator”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–497, § 201, substituted provisions transferring functions from Administrator of General Services to Archivist of the United States, further substituted provisions relating to permissible fee charges for former provisions which set a fee not in excess of 10 percent above costs and expenses for making copies, inserted “unless appropriations available to the Archivist for this purpose are insufficient to cover the cost of performing the work”, and struck out provision that reimbursement may be accepted to cover cost of furnishing copies or reproductions that could not otherwise be furnished. 1976—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–575 inserted reference to chapter 33 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–497 effective Apr. 1, 1985, see section 301 of Pub. L. 98–497, set out as a note under section 2102 of this title.