records are considered lost when the following conditions are true

Records are considered lost when three specific conditions are all true at the same time.

Core conditions

For an organization (such as a government agency), records are generally considered “lost” when all of the following apply:

• The item was an official agency record, whether temporary or permanent (not just a personal note or non‑record copy).

• The record was removed without authorization, or it was destroyed, deleted, altered, or damaged—whether accidentally, inadvertently, or intentionally.

• The record cannot be recovered or recreated by any reasonable means (for example, from backups, duplicates, or other systems).

In many practical settings, if a “missing” record cannot be located after a defined search period (for example, several months), it is then treated as lost and triggers reconstruction or mitigation steps.