Rule 15A.13 Preservation of Originals

If you file documents in your case, either as an attorney or as someone representing yourself, you need to keep the original copies. This applies whenever original documents exist for your case. You must hold onto these originals for five years after your case is fully finished, and that includes any appeals that happen along the way.

You can keep these originals as paper copies or as PDF files. Either format counts as proper storage under this rule. Just make sure you can access them if needed.

A judge can ask you to produce these original documents at any point during that five year window. So even after your case seems over, you should not throw away or delete your records right away. Keeping them safe and organized will help you respond quickly if a court asks to see them.