Vital Records

Vital (essential) records, as defined in the Texas Government Code
§441.180(13)
. “Vital Record” means any official record necessary to:
  • Resumption or continuation of state agency operations in an emergency or disaster.
  • Re-creation of the legal and financial status of the agency.
  • Protection and fulfillment of obligations to the people of the state.
Although all official records serve a purpose, only about 5 percent of an agency's records are truly vital as defined above. It is important to identify vital records, and to be able to rapidly reconstruct vital records from backup copies after a disaster.
Chapter 13, “Disaster Recovery Planning,” describes procedures that can help to reconstruct records quickly following a disaster.
The essential function of each District and Division determines what records are essential. This chapter contains information on identifying and protecting vital records.