Sec. 1. (a) Any officer, office, court, commission, board, institution, department, agent, or employee of the state, county, or any political subdivision being charged with the duty or authorized or required by law to record, preserve, keep, maintain, or file any record, document, plat, paper or instrument-in-writing, may, whenever any such officer, office, court, commission, board, institution, department, agent, or employee of the state, county, or any political subdivision shall deem it necessary, for the purpose of recording or copying same, preserving and protecting same, reducing space required for storage or filing of same, or any similar purpose, have or cause to have any or all such records recorded, copied, or reproduced by any photostatic, photographic, micrographic, electronic, or other process which correctly and accurately copies or reproduces, recreates, or forms a medium of copying or reproducing the original record, document, plat, paper, or instrument-in-writing. Any officer, office, court, commission, board, institution, department, agent, or employee of the state may have or cause to have records recorded, copied, or reproduced under this subsection by any optical imaging process that correctly and accurately copies or reproduces, recreates, or forms a medium of copying or reproducing the original record, document, plat, paper, or instrument-in-writing.

(b) The original filing record may be destroyed if:

(1) the record has been copied or is capable of being reproduced or recreated under subsection (a); and

(2) an approved retention schedule allows for the destruction.

(c) Copies, recreations, or reproductions made under subsection (a):

(1) shall have the same force and effect at law as the original record destroyed under subsection (b); and

(2) shall be received as evidence in any court where the original record could have been so introduced;

if the recreations, copies, or reproductions are properly certified as to authenticity and accuracy by a duly constituted official custodian of such records.

(d) All micrographics and imaging processes done under this chapter shall comply with the quality standards developed under IC 5-15-5.1-8.

(e) This section does not apply to the office of judicial administration of the supreme court.

Formerly: Acts 1947, c.195, s.1. As amended by Acts 1979, P.L.40, SEC.16; P.L.50-1991, SEC.2; P.L.79-1995, SEC.1; P.L.171-2015, SEC.7; P.L.161-2018, SEC.15.