Unified file plan
Standardized filing plan for Bavarian municipalities and district offices with a list of retention periods (as of April 1, 2011)
EAPl Retention Period Schedule; EAPlRetention
The standardized filing plan, formerly published by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior as a public notice, has been published by the Bavarian Association of Municipalities, the Bavarian Association of Cities, the Bavarian Association of Counties, and the General Directorate of the Bavarian State Archives since January 1, 2003. It was updated to reflect the legal status as of July 1, 2007.
The schedule of retention periods is available as of April 1, 2011. The file plan identifiers and their corresponding descriptions are unchanged from the "EAPl Updated Version 2007." The legal status as of April 1, 2011, refers to the deadlines and the legal status of the cited regulations in the Retention Period Schedule.
The legal status as of April 1, 2011, refers to the deadlines and the legal status of the regulations cited in the schedule of retention periods. The Bavarian State Archives and the leading Bavarian municipal associations recommend the use of the standardized filing plan and the EAPl retention period schedule, and make both available free of charge to their members and all other interested parties. Filing administrative records by file number is far superior to filing by keywords and subject headings (with a thesaurus), especially in electronic systems. Therefore, the standardized filing plan should also be used for electronic case processing. The simultaneous integration of the retention period schedule allows for automated deadline monitoring and disposal, leading to significant efficiency gains. The EAPl retention period schedule applies to paper-based files as well as IT-supported file and case processing systems.
Published editions of the EAPl and the EAPl Retention Period Schedule
Retention Period Schedules are available from Carl Link and Jehle-Rehm Publishers, and Boorberg Publishers is also planning to publish them. The unannotated version of the Standard File Plan and the EAPl Retention Period Schedule, including the introductory circular, can be downloaded here as a PDF file. Should you require other file formats, please contact us.
Please also refer to publications Digital Documents Nos. 1, 2, and 3.
Forum for questions about the EAPl and the EAPl Retention Period Schedule
The Standard File Plan and the Standard File Plan Retention Period Schedule must adapt to the ongoing development of administrative law. Updates, clarifications, and explanations will therefore be necessary at irregular intervals.
The Directorate General welcomes suggestions and questions from users of the EAPl and the EAPl retention period schedule, preferably in writing (poststelle@gda.bayern.de).
Further information can be found here.
Guide to the introduction and use of document management systems, published by the Bavarian County Council
Guide to the introduction and use of document management systems (as of May 2024)