How Long Should a Business Keep CCTV Footage?

What matters in practice:

• 30 days is the practical minimum for most businesses — claims, chargebacks and complaints regularly surface weeks after the event.
• Retention drives drive size. A 90-day policy needs roughly three times the storage of a 30-day one, so set the policy before buying drives.
• Write the policy down. State what is recorded, why, how long it is kept, who can export it — and review it once a year.

For a business, retention is more than a convenience. It affects investigations, insurance claims, staff disputes and legal compliance. A clear policy protects you.

Typical retention periods

There is no universal rule, and requirements vary by country, sector and insurer. As a practical guide:

Always check the rules that apply to your industry and location, and confirm what your insurer requires.

Why 30 days is often the minimum

Many claims and complaints surface weeks after the event: a slip-and-fall claim, a refund dispute, or stock discovered missing at a monthly count. A 30-day minimum covers most of these.

Write a simple retention policy

1. State what is recorded and where cameras are placed.
2. State why (security, safety, crime prevention).
3. Set the retention period and say what happens to footage after that.
4. Say who can view and export footage.
5. Describe how incident footage is preserved.
6. Review it at least once a year.

Handling evidence

• Export promptly. Save relevant clips before the recorder overwrites them.
• Keep the original. Store an unaltered copy, and work only on duplicates.
• Log it. Record who exported it, when, from which camera, and who received it.
• Include the player. Proprietary formats may need the manufacturer's viewer.
• Check the clock. Make sure recorder time is accurate, because incorrect timestamps weaken evidence.

Privacy and data protection

CCTV footage of identifiable people is usually personal data. In many jurisdictions that means you must have a lawful reason for recording, display clear signage, limit access, keep footage no longer than necessary, and respond to access requests. Employee monitoring rules can be stricter. Seek local legal advice if you are unsure.

Sizing storage for your policy

Retention drives drive size. A 90-day policy needs roughly three times the storage of a 30-day one. Use the formula in how much storage do you need for your CCTV system, work through our guide to calculating NVR storage pools, and consider the cost-saving methods in how to cut CCTV storage costs.

A sample retention policy template

Adapt this wording to your business and local law.

Sample policy wording:

Purpose. CCTV is used to deter crime, protect staff and customers, and investigate incidents. Cameras. Cameras cover entrances, the sales floor, the stockroom and the car park. They do not cover toilets or changing rooms. Retention. Routine footage is kept for 30 days and then overwritten automatically. Footage relating to an incident is exported and kept until the matter is closed. Access. Only named managers may view or export footage. Each export is logged. Requests. Requests from the police, insurers or individuals must be sent to the owner, who will check the request and respond within the legal time limit.

Common scenarios for businesses

A customer claims an injury three weeks after the visit. With 30 days of retention, you can still review it. With 14 days, you cannot, so consider longer retention for areas with a risk of claims.

An employee is accused of theft. Preserve the original footage, restrict access, and involve HR or legal advice before showing anyone the clips.

A chargeback arrives 60 days after a sale. Many card disputes arrive well after the transaction, so retail businesses with point-of-sale cameras often need 60–90 days.

An insurer asks for evidence of a break-in. Export the full period from before the incident until after it, as well as footage showing how the intruders entered and left.

Storage implications at a glance

If a 30-day policy needs 4 TB, a 60-day policy needs about 8 TB, and a 90-day policy about 12 TB, all else being equal. Using motion recording on low-traffic cameras can bring these down, as described in how to cut CCTV storage costs without losing evidence quality.

Review and audit

Once a quarter, check that the recorder's oldest footage matches your policy, that the drive is healthy, and that only the right people have login access. Update the policy whenever you add cameras, change premises or change how long you need to keep footage.

The bottom line

Pick a retention period that matches your risks and legal obligations, write it down, and make sure your storage can actually deliver it. When a single drive would have to hold all of it, RAID, NAS or NVR storage shows how businesses keep long retention reliable.

Next Steps

Backspace Business Solutions sets retention policies and storage capacity as part of CCTV and biometric solutions for Ugandan businesses.

Message us on WhatsApp or request a free site assessment and we will size the storage your chosen retention actually requires.