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.