(a) The facility must be constructed with non-combustible materials and building elements, including walls, columns and floors. There are two exceptions to this requirement:

(1) Roof elements may be constructed with combustible materials if installed in accordance with local building codes and if roof elements are protected by a properly installed, properly maintained wet-pipe automatic sprinkler system, as specified in NFPA 13 (incorporated by reference, see §1234.3).

(2) An agency may request a waiver of the requirement specified in paragraph (a) from NARA for an existing records storage facility with combustible building elements to continue to operate until October 1, 2009. In its request for a waiver, the agency must provide documentation that the facility has a fire suppression system specifically designed to mitigate this hazard and that the system meets the requirements of §1234.12(s). Submit waiver requests to NARA by mail at National Archives and Records Administration; Storage Coordination and Logistics (B-AD); 8601 Adelphi Road; College Park, MD 20740-6001.

(b) A facility with two or more stories must be designed or reviewed by a licensed fire protection engineer and civil/structural engineer to avoid catastrophic failure of the structure due to an uncontrolled fire on one of the intermediate floor levels. For new buildings the seals on the construction drawings serve as proof of this review. For existing buildings, this requirement may be demonstrated by a professional letter of opinion under seal by a licensed fire protection engineer that the fire resistance of the separating floor(s) is/(are) at least four hours, and a professional letter of opinion under seal by a licensed civil/structural engineer that there are no obvious structural weaknesses that would indicate a high potential for structural catastrophic collapse under fire conditions.

(c) The building must be sited a minimum of five feet above and 100 feet from any 100 year flood plain areas, or be protected by an appropriate flood wall that conforms to local or regional building codes.

(d) The facility must be designed in accordance with the applicable national, regional, state, or local building codes (whichever is most stringent) to provide protection from building collapse or failure of essential equipment from earthquake hazards, tornadoes, hurricanes and other potential natural disasters.

(e) Roads, fire lanes and parking areas must permit unrestricted access for emergency vehicles.

(f) A floor load limit must be established for the records storage area by a licensed structural engineer. The limit must take into consideration the height and type of the shelving or storage equipment, the width of the aisles, the configuration of the space, etc. The allowable load limit must be posted in a conspicuous place and must not be exceeded.

(g) The facility must ensure that the roof membrane does not permit water to penetrate the roof. NARA strongly recommends that this requirement be met by not mounting equipment on the roof and placing nothing else on the roof that may cause damage to the roof membrane. Alternatively, a facility may meet this requirement with stringent design specifications for roof-mounted equipment in conjunction with a periodic roof inspection program performed by appropriately certified professionals.

(1) New records storage facilities must meet the requirements in this paragraph (g) beginning on September 28, 2005.

(2) Existing facilities must meet the requirements in this paragraph (g) no later than October 1, 2009.

(h) Piping (with the exception of fire protection sprinkler piping and storm water roof drainage piping) must not be run through records storage areas unless supplemental measures such as gutters or shields are used to prevent water leaks and the piping assembly is inspected for potential leaks regularly. If drainage piping from roof drains must be run though records storage areas, the piping must be run to the nearest vertical riser and must include a continuous gutter sized and installed beneath the lateral runs to prevent leakage into the storage area. Vertical pipe risers required to be installed in records storage areas must be fully enclosed by shaft construction with appropriate maintenance access panels.

(1) New records storage facilities must meet the requirements in this paragraph (h) beginning on September 28, 2005.

(2) Existing facilities must meet the requirements in this paragraph (h) no later than October 1, 2009.

(i) The following standards apply to records storage shelving and racking systems:

(1) All storage shelving and racking systems must be designed and installed to provide seismic bracing that meets the requirements of the applicable state, regional, and local building code (whichever is most stringent);

(2) Racking systems, steel shelving, or other open-shelf records storage equipment must be braced to prevent collapse under full load. Each racking system or shelving unit must be industrial style shelving rated at least 50 pounds per cubic foot supported by the shelf;

(3) Compact mobile shelving systems (if used) must be designed to permit proper air circulation and fire protection. Request detailed specifications that meet this requirement from NARA by mail at National Archives and Records Administration; Storage Coordination and Logistics (B-AD); 8601 Adelphi Road; College Park, MD 20740-6001.

(j) The area occupied by the records storage facility must be equipped with an anti-intrusion alarm system, or equivalent, meeting the requirements of UL 1076 (incorporated by reference, see §1234.3), level AA, to protect against unlawful entry after hours and to monitor designated interior storage spaces. This intrusion alarm system must be monitored in accordance with UL 611, (incorporated by reference, see §1234.3).

(k) The facility must comply with the requirements for a Level III facility as defined in the Department of Justice, U. S. Marshals Service report Vulnerability Assessment of Federal Facilities dated June 28, 1995. These requirements are provided in Appendix A to this part 1234. Agencies may require compliance with Level IV or Level V facility security requirements if the facility is classified at the higher level.

(l) Records contaminated by hazardous materials, such as radioactive isotopes or toxins, infiltrated by insects, or exhibiting active mold growth must be stored in separate areas having separate air handling systems from other records.

(m) To eliminate damage to records and/or loss of information due to insects, rodents, mold and other pests that are attracted to organic materials under specific environmental conditions, the facility must have an Integrated Pest Management program as defined in the Food Protection Act of 1996 (Section 303, Pub. L. 104-170, 110 Stat. 1512). This states in part that Integrated Pest Management is a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks. The IPM program emphasizes three fundamental elements:

(1) Prevention. IPM is a preventive maintenance process that seeks to identify and eliminate potential pest access, shelter, and nourishment. It also continually monitors for pests themselves, so that small infestations do not become large ones;

(2) Least-toxic methods. IPM aims to minimize both pesticide use and risk through alternate control techniques and by favoring compounds, formulations, and application methods that present the lowest potential hazard to humans and the environment; and

(3) Systems approach. The IPM pest control contract must be effectively coordinated with all other relevant programs that operate in and around a building, including plans and procedures involving design and construction, repairs and alterations, cleaning, waste management, food service, and other activities.

(n) For new records storage facilities only, the additional requirements in this paragraph (n) must be met:

(1) Do not install mechanical equipment, excluding material handling and conveyance equipment that have operating thermal breakers on the motor, containing motors rated in excess of 1 HP within records storage areas (either floor mounted or suspended from roof support structures).

(2) Do not install high-voltage electrical distribution equipment (i.e., 13.2kv or higher switchgear and transformers) within records storage areas (either floor mounted or suspended from roof support structures).

(3) A redundant source of primary electric service such as a second primary service feeder should be provided to ensure continuous, dependable service to the facility especially to the HVAC systems, fire alarm and fire protection systems. Manual switching between sources of service is acceptable.

(4) A facility storing permanent records must be kept under positive air pressure, especially in the area of the loading dock. In addition, to prevent fumes from vehicle exhausts from entering the facility, air intake louvers must not be located in the area of the loading dock, adjacent to parking areas, or in any location where a vehicle engine may be running for any period of time. Loading docks must have an air supply and exhaust system that is separate from the remainder of the facility.

[74 FR 51014, Oct. 2, 2009, as amended at 83 FR 13655, Mar. 30, 2018]