Quick answer: Start with the retention requirement that actually applies to the site, then size and verify storage for it. A sector rule, contract, privacy purpose or records policy may set different conditions. No single number in an installer’s chart should be treated as the retention rule for every US or Canadian business.
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Who chooses the recording period?
The customer should identify the applicable licence, contract or records-policy requirement and the person authorized to approve the policy. The installer translates that decision into supported recording settings, usable storage and verification. If two requirements appear to conflict, resolve that with the customer’s qualified advisers before setting an overwrite period.
Keep routine overwrite separate from an incident-preservation instruction. A useful policy explains who receives a request, which footage is protected or exported, where it is stored and who may later release it. The customer should settle when a legal hold applies; the installer should make the approved preservation process workable.
Which industry examples are useful without becoming blanket rules?
The following are narrow examples checked against primary material, not an exhaustive legal schedule. Record the jurisdiction, licence/assessment scope, section and check date beside the actual project requirement. The Oregon example is specific to the cited licensed premises and does not set a general commercial retention period.
| Example | Published requirement or reference | Scope and installer action |
|---|---|---|
| PCI DSS, sensitive areas within the cardholder data environment | Requirement 9.2.1.1 addresses at least three months of collected physical-access monitoring data unless law restricts it. | Video, physical access-control mechanisms or both may be used. Confirm current version and in-scope areas with the customer’s assessor; this is not every camera at every merchant. |
| Oregon licensed cannabis premises | OAR 845-025-1450(2)(c): minimum 90 calendar days; OLCC 6-2025 effective January 1, 2026. | Read the full current rule and licence conditions, including separate backup and recording-mode requirements. |
| Washington licensed cannabis premises | WAC 314-55-083(3): recordings kept for a minimum of 45 days on the licensee’s recording device. | Read the complete current surveillance section for the licensed premises, including continuous recording, coverage, time/date and protected recorder requirements. |
| Canadian federal cannabis licences referred to in subsection 62(1) | Section 73: qualifying recordings made under section 64 or 70 are retained for at least one year. | The listed federal licence scope matters. For a motion-activated device, the provision concerns recordings depicting movement; without that feature it concerns all such recordings. Do not apply this automatically to every cannabis retailer or licence type. |
For Canada, subsection 62(1) identifies the relevant federal licences, including standard cultivation and standard processing; it also has specific conditions for other licence categories. Provincial retail conditions and other licence types need their own review. A requirement concerning motion recordings does not justify choosing an event mode that misses required activity.
How do you translate bitrate and days into storage?
For continuous recording, a decimal planning calculation is GB = average Mbps × 10.8 × days × camera count. Divide by 1,000 for decimal TB. Use a measured or deliberately conservative bitrate for the actual scene, codec and recording settings, rather than inferring bitrate from resolution alone.
| Average bitrate per camera | 30 days | 90 days | 365 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mbps | 0.648 TB | 1.944 TB | 7.884 TB |
| 4 Mbps | 1.296 TB | 3.888 TB | 15.768 TB |
| 8 Mbps | 2.592 TB | 7.776 TB | 31.536 TB |
For 16 cameras averaging 4 Mbps continuously for 30 days, the video-data estimate is 20,736 GB, or 20.736 decimal TB. A separately stated 15% planning allowance produces 23.8464 TB. That allowance is an example, not a guarantee: reserves, audio, recording metadata, filesystem use, RAID configuration, bitrate variation and supported drive limits must be accounted for in the actual design.
Use the NVR storage calculation guide to cross-check the planning inputs and the recording export workflow for evidence handling. For equipment selection, compare supported bay/drive limits and usable capacity for the exact recorder revision; do not treat the sum of drive labels as verified usable retention.
How do you verify the installed recording window?
- Record the approved days and recording mode for each camera group.
- Confirm the actual storage configuration, healthy recording state, time settings and stream configuration.
- Log measured bitrate assumptions and the planned reserve separately.
- At commissioning, distinguish calculated retention from footage that can already be observed.
- Schedule an oldest-recording check after enough operating time has elapsed; a new system cannot demonstrate a 90-day history after one week.
- Recheck after adding cameras, changing bitrate or recording mode, replacing drives or changing storage protection.
What belongs in the customer’s policy and handover file?
Record the approved period and basis; affected camera groups; recording mode; capacity calculation and reserve; exact equipment/firmware; authorized change roles; evidence-preservation process; and the dates for an initial check, mature retention check and review.
The handover checklist provides an operational record. The Canadian privacy guide and surveillance-notice checklist help keep the stated purpose and customer communication aligned with the actual recording policy.
FAQ
Is 30 days a legal default?
No. It can be a customer policy choice for a particular project, but first identify requirements and limitations that reach the site.
Can a larger recorder solve a policy question?
No. Select the approved period first, then verify that the supported system can deliver it.
Can event recording be assumed to save a fixed percentage?
No. Savings depend on the scene and trigger performance, and an applicable recording requirement may constrain the mode. Test the proposed design and document its assumptions.
What should you send Anabon before equipment selection?
Provide the approved retention basis, camera groups, recording modes, measured bitrate assumptions and required usable capacity. Treat unresolved legal or assessment scope as an open item. For model-specific questions, contact Anabon technical support. Use Anabon Downloads for available product resources. Compare network video recorders after the requirements and evidence needed for acceptance are clear.
References
References checked October 21, 2026. Confirm the current requirements for the actual project before a commitment.
- PCI SSC — current document library
- PCI SSC — published 9.2.1.1 monitoring scope; confirm current assessment version
- Oregon OLCC 6-2025 — permanent order, OAR 845-025-1450
- Washington State Legislature — WAC 314-55-083(3)
- Canada Cannabis Regulations, subsection 62(1)
- Canada Cannabis Regulations, section 73
