State Board of Health adopts new retention policy for Health Impact Reviews
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Summary
The Board adopted Draft Policy 2026-001 to retain Health Impact Reviews and source materials internally after six years and keep executive summaries and final reports publicly available for 10 years, directing staff to finalize the policy and incorporate it into the Board’s Records Retention Guide.
The Washington State Board of Health on March 12 adopted Draft Policy 2026-001 to change how Health Impact Reviews (HIRs) are retained. The new policy converts HIRs and their source materials into internal reference materials after six years while keeping HIR request forms, executive summaries and final reports publicly available on the Board website for 10 years. The Board directed staff to finalize the policy and incorporate it into the Board’s Records Retention Guide.
Executive Director Michelle Davis said HIRs are unique and noted other Board records are already archived with the State Archives. Assistant Attorney General Lilia Lopez told the Board that some Department of Health programs retain records for as long as 75 years and that the Board may set any retention period that meets legal minimums.
Board members discussed trade-offs between preserving historical records that aid future decision-making and the ongoing cost of storage. Board Member Steve Kutz emphasized the value of keeping historical reports to inform later reviews. Member Mindy Flores supported retention in principle but asked whether the cost to maintain materials in perpetuity would be sustainable.
The motion to adopt the policy (moved by Paj Nandi, seconded by Steve Kutz) passed unanimously. The Board directed staff to finalize the document with the edits discussed during the meeting and to update guidance materials so petitioners and the public understand how retention and public access will work going forward.
The Board’s action changes internal retention practice for HIR source materials while preserving public access to summaries and final reports for a decade. Staff said the Board can revisit the duration and language if implementation shows unforeseen costs or operational issues.