§ 8-45.1. Photographic reproductions admissible; destruction of originals. - North Carolina Statutes

Article4A.

Photographic Copies ofBusiness and Public Records.

§ 8‑45.1.  Photographicreproductions admissible; destruction of originals.

(a)        If any business,institution, member of a profession or calling, or any department or agency ofgovernment, in the regular course of business or activity has kept or recordedany memorandum, writing, entry, print, representation, X ray or combinationthereof, of any act, transaction, occurrence or event, and in the regularcourse of business has caused any or all of the same to be recorded, copied orreproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, microcard, miniaturephotographic, or other process which accurately reproduces or forms a durablemedium for so reproducing the original, the original may be destroyed in theregular course of business unless held in a custodial or fiduciary capacity orunless its preservation is required by law. Such reproduction, whensatisfactorily identified, is as admissible in evidence as the original itselfin any judicial or administrative proceeding whether the original is inexistence or not and an enlargement or facsimile of such reproduction islikewise admissible in evidence if the original reproduction is in existenceand available for inspection under direction of court. The introduction of areproduced record, enlargement or facsimile, does not preclude admission of theoriginal.

(b)        The provisions ofsubsection (a) of this section shall apply to records stored on any form ofpermanent, computer‑readable media, such as a CD‑ROM, if the mediumis not subject to erasure or alteration. Nonerasable, computer‑readablestorage media shall not be used for preservation duplicates, as defined in G.S.132‑8.2, or for the preservation of permanently valuable records asprovided in G.S. 121‑5(d), except to the extent expressly approved by theDepartment of Cultural Resources pursuant to standards and conditionsestablished by the Department. (1951, ch. 262, s. 1; 1977,ch. 569; 1999‑131, s. 1; 1999‑456, s. 47(a).)