The SF 702 Security Container Check Sheet is the monthly log you attach to a GSA-approved security container or vault door that stores classified information. Every time someone opens the container, closes it, or verifies it is locked, they initial the sheet and write the exact time. The form creates a running record of who accessed the container and when.1National Archives. Standard Forms
Under 32 CFR 2001.80, when an agency decides as part of its risk management strategy that a container check sheet is required, the SF 702 is the form that must be used.2eCFR. 32 CFR Part 2001 Subpart H – Standard Forms Most agencies that store classified material require the SF 702 on every such container. Blank forms are available through the GSA Forms Library and the National Archives ISOO security forms page. One sheet covers one calendar month for one container, so you start a fresh form on the first of each month.
What Goes on the Form
The header identifies the container: month and year, room number, building name or number, and container number. Some agencies also fill in the “TO” and “THRU” routing fields.3National Archives. SF 702 Security Container Check Sheet
Below the header sits a certification statement. By initialing the form, you certify that you opened, closed, or checked the container in accordance with your agency’s regulations and operating instructions. The main table has one row per day with these columns:3National Archives. SF 702 Security Container Check Sheet
- Date of the activity.
- Opened By: initials and exact time of the person who unlocked the container.
- Closed By: initials and exact time of the person who secured the lock.
- Checked By: initials and exact time of the person who physically verified the container is locked.
- Guard Check: initials and time, if your agency uses guard inspections.
How to Record Entries
Log entries at the moment the action happens, not from memory later in the day. Unlock the drawer, initial the “Opened By” column, and write the time. Lock the drawer at the end of your work with it, and initial “Closed By” with the time right then.
The “Checked By” column is a separate verification. Ideally a different person tugs the drawer or door to confirm it is locked and then initials the form with the time. If nobody else is around, the person who closed the container may perform and record the check themselves. The check typically happens at the end of the shift or before the container will be left unattended.
Where the Form Belongs
Attach the SF 702 to the outside of the control drawer or to the outside face of the vault door, using tape or a magnetic holder.4United States government. SF 702 Security Container Check Sheet Keeping it visible at the container itself is what makes real-time entries possible. A form tucked in a desk drawer or filed away invites forgotten entries and guessed times.
Keeping and Disposing of Completed Sheets
When a month’s sheet is fully populated, pull it off the container and put up a new one. Federal regulation does not fix a single retention period. Instead, 32 CFR 2001.80 directs that completion, storage, and disposal of the SF 702 follow each agency’s own security regulations.2eCFR. 32 CFR Part 2001 Subpart H – Standard Forms Some agencies keep the sheets 30 days; others hold them longer to support internal reviews. Check your own agency’s schedule.
If a security incident involves a specific container, the corresponding SF 702 becomes part of the inquiry record and must be preserved until the investigation is officially closed. After the required retention period, destroy the form using your agency’s approved method for administrative records.
What Happens If the Log Is Missed or the Container Is Left Open
Federal regulations distinguish two categories of container-related incidents by severity.
A security infraction is an incident that does not result in the actual loss or compromise of classified information. Forgetting to initial the SF 702 after closing a container that was in fact locked would generally fall here. Infractions still trigger an inquiry and corrective action, because repeated infractions can point to patterns of negligence.
A security violation is more serious. It involves an incident that reasonably could result, or did result, in the loss or compromise of classified information. A container found open and unattended with no record of who accessed it last can be treated as a violation.
Under 32 CFR 2001.48, anyone who learns that classified information may have been lost or disclosed to an unauthorized person must immediately report it to a designated official. The agency then conducts an inquiry or investigation to determine the scope of any damage, put corrective actions in place, and decide whether disciplinary sanctions are appropriate.5eCFR. 32 CFR 2001.48 – Loss, Possible Compromise or Unauthorized Disclosure
A consistently completed SF 702 protects both the classified material and you. If something goes wrong with a container, the sheet shows who had access and when, which can quickly narrow or eliminate you as the responsible party.
How the SF 702 Differs From the SF 700 and SF 701
Two other standard forms sit alongside the SF 702, and they are easy to confuse.
The SF 700, Security Container Information, records identifying details about the container itself: location, container number, lock serial number, and the employees to contact if the container is found open and unattended. A detachable envelope holds the container’s combination, safeguarded at the classification level of the highest information authorized for storage in that container.2eCFR. 32 CFR Part 2001 Subpart H – Standard Forms A new SF 700 is completed each time the combination changes.
The SF 701, Activity Security Checklist, is an end-of-day check on the whole work area rather than one container. The person conducting the check confirms that all containers are locked, desks and wastebaskets are clear of classified material, windows and doors are secured, and removable storage media has been properly stored.1National Archives. Standard Forms The SF 702 tracks a single container throughout the day; the SF 701 confirms the workspace is secure before everyone leaves.