Section 8A. Any provision of general or special law to the contrary notwithstanding, the clerk of any city or town, with the written approval of the supervisor of records, may destroy any index of instruments made by any clerk of such city or town under the provision of law now embodied in section fifteen of chapter forty-one or any original record made by any such clerk under any of the provisions of law now embodied in section eleven of chapter two hundred and nine, section three of chapter two hundred and fifty-five, or any similar statute; provided, that such index or record, as the case may be, has been, or shall have been, micro-photographed, and that twenty years has, or shall have, expired after the making of such index or record. The micro-photograph of any index or record so destroyed shall have the same force and effect as the original index or record from which such micro-photograph was made.
Structure Massachusetts General Laws
Part I - Administration of the Government
Section 1 - Supervision of Public Records; Powers and Duties
Section 3 - ''record'' Defined; Quality of Paper and Film; Microfilm Records
Section 4 - Regulation of Recording Materials and Devices; Mandamus
Section 5 - Municipal Records; Copies
Section 5a - Records of Meetings of Boards and Commissions; Contents
Section 6 - Records of Public Proceedings; Preparation; Custody
Section 6a - Records Access Officers; Designation; Powers and Duties
Section 7 - Custody of Old and Other Records
Section 8 - Preservation and Destruction of Records, Books and Papers
Section 8a - Destruction of Certain Records by City and Town Clerks if Micro-Photographed
Section 8b - Destruction or Disposal of Records in Accordance With Chapter 93i
Section 9 - Preservation and Copying of Worn, etc., Records
Section 11 - Fireproof Vaults and Safes
Section 12 - Arrangement of Records
Section 13 - Custodian to Demand Records; Compelling Compliance
Section 14 - Surrender of Records by Retiring Officer
Section 16 - Surrender of Church Records; Jurisdiction of Superior Court
Section 17 - Municipality in Which Records to Be Kept; Contracts for Records Storage; Penalty
Section 17a - Public Assistance Records; Public Inspection; Destruction
Section 17c - Failure to Maintain Public Records of Meetings; Orders to Maintain
Section 18 - Application of Chapter
Section 20 - Payroll, Financial and Other Data in Centralized State Accounting and Payroll Systems
Section 21 - Documents Related to Pensions of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Employees