How to Fill Out a Chain of Custody Form: Fields, Transfers, and Storage

To fill out a chain of custody form correctly, record a unique identifier for the item, a detailed description, the collector’s name and signature, the date, time, and location of collection, the condition of the packaging and seal, and then capture a signature from both the person releasing and the person receiving the evidence at every single transfer that follows. Use permanent ink, correct mistakes with a single strikethrough rather than correction fluid, and make sure the identifier on the form matches the identifier on the container exactly. Small paperwork errors — a missing time, an unsigned handoff, a mismatched label — are what opposing counsel use to argue the evidence was altered or contaminated.

The Fields Every Entry Needs

A complete form carries the same core information regardless of which agency template you start from. Leave any of these blank and you create the kind of gap a defense attorney will point to.

  • A unique identifier such as a case number, laboratory tracking number, or barcode that ties the form to one specific item. Every container gets its own identifier.1StatPearls. Chain of Custody
  • A specific item description covering what the evidence is, how much there is, and any distinguishing features such as serial numbers, color, weight, or visible damage. Someone reading the form six months later should be able to match the description to the physical item.
  • The full name, signature, and professional affiliation of the person who first collected the evidence.1StatPearls. Chain of Custody
  • A timestamp for every interaction: collection, transfer, storage, analysis, and return. Use 24-hour format so there is no confusion between a.m. and p.m.
  • The exact collection location, with enough detail to connect the item to the investigation.
  • The packaging condition, including whether the container is sealed, what tamper-evident tape or bag was used, and whether the seal is intact at each transfer point. Evidence should go into tamper-evident or tamper-resistant bags whenever possible.1StatPearls. Chain of Custody
  • Transfer signatures from both parties at every exchange, with each name printed and dated alongside the signature.

Free templates with these fields are published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology2National Institute of Standards and Technology. Sample Chain of Custody Form and the Environmental Protection Agency.3Environmental Protection Agency. Sample Chain-of-Custody Record Either works as a starting point for law enforcement, corporate investigations, or workplace testing, though you may need to add fields for your situation.

Starting the Record at Collection

The person who collects the evidence fills out the form first. Write the unique identifier on both the form and the evidence container label and confirm they match character for character. A mismatch between the two is one of the most common reasons a chain of custody gets challenged. Record the date, time, and location of collection, describe the item in enough detail that it could be identified without seeing it, and sign the “collected by” or “relinquished by” line depending on your template’s layout.

Fill out the header block before moving to item rows. The header carries case-level information: agency or organization name, case number, investigating officer, and contact details. For workplace drug testing under federal rules, the header must include the employer’s name, address, phone number, and the name and phone number of the Designated Employer Representative.4eCFR. 49 CFR Part 40 Subpart D – Collection Sites, Forms, Equipment

Each row on the form represents one piece of evidence. If you are documenting multiple items from the same scene, each gets its own row. Don’t bundle two items into one entry even if they were found next to each other.

Ink, Corrections, and Legibility

Use permanent ink on paper forms. If you make a mistake, draw a single line through the error so the original entry remains legible, write the correction nearby, and initial and date the change. Never use correction fluid or scratch out an entry completely. That looks like someone tried to hide what was originally written, which is exactly the kind of thing that raises suspicion at trial.

Logging Every Transfer

Each time evidence changes hands, create a new entry in the transfer log. The person giving up custody signs and dates the “relinquished by” line. The person accepting it signs and dates the “received by” line. Both signatures happen at the same time, during the physical handoff, so there is no window where the item’s location is unaccounted for.1StatPearls. Chain of Custody2National Institute of Standards and Technology. Sample Chain of Custody Form

Before signing, the receiving party inspects the packaging. Check that tamper-evident seals are unbroken, that the container label matches the form, and that the item description is consistent with what you are actually holding. If anything looks wrong, note it in the remarks or comments field before signing. That notation protects you if the discrepancy becomes an issue later.

When evidence goes into secure storage rather than directly to another person, log the specific storage location — room number, locker, shelf — in the comments field. The form should reflect where the item is at all times, even when it is sitting in a vault between transfers.

Shipping Evidence by Courier

Not every transfer happens hand to hand. When evidence must be shipped to a laboratory in another city, the form still needs continuous documentation. Seal the evidence in tamper-evident packaging before handing it to the courier. Record the courier company’s name, the tracking number, and the date and time of the handoff. The person at the receiving end inspects the packaging for signs of tampering before signing the “received by” line and noting the condition of the seal. If the seal is broken or the packaging is damaged on arrival, document that immediately.

Extra Steps for Digital Evidence

Digital evidence such as hard drives, phone images, server logs, and cloud exports needs the same core documentation as physical items plus proof that the data has not been altered. The core addition is a cryptographic hash value, a digital fingerprint computed from the evidence file at the time of collection. NIST recommends computing the hash before and after imaging a drive and comparing the results to confirm nothing changed during the copy.5National Institute of Standards and Technology. Guide to Integrating Forensic Techniques into Incident Response Matching hashes mean the copy is a verified duplicate of the original.

A digital chain of custody form should record the standard fields plus the forensic tool used for acquisition, the hash algorithm (SHA-1 or SHA-256 are standard for federal work), and the computed hash values.5National Institute of Standards and Technology. Guide to Integrating Forensic Techniques into Incident Response Preserve metadata like file timestamps, geolocation data, and file history as part of the evidence itself. Store the data on write-protected media or in a system with access logging so every view and transfer is automatically recorded.

DOT Drug Testing Requires a Specific Federal Form

If your collection falls under Department of Transportation drug and alcohol testing rules, you cannot use a generic template. Federal regulation requires the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form (CCF) for every collection, and collectors are explicitly prohibited from substituting a non-federal form.6eCFR. Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs

The CCF walks the collector through a structured, multi-step process. The collector verifies that the specimen identification number on the form matches the number on the bottle labels and seals, then confirms employer and Medical Review Officer contact information in Step 1. The collection step records whether the specimen is a split or single collection, checks the specimen temperature within four minutes, and notes any unusual behavior or appearance in the remarks line. The donor reads and signs the certification statement, and if the donor refuses to sign, the collector notes that in the remarks on Copy 1. The collector then completes the chain of custody section with a signature, printed name, date, time of collection, and the name of the delivery service, seals the specimen in a leak-proof plastic bag, and prepares the package for shipment.7SAMHSA. Instructions for Completing the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form The multi-copy format delivers the donor, employer, laboratory, and Medical Review Officer their designated copies.

Mistakes That Break the Chain

Most chain of custody problems are mundane paperwork errors, not dramatic evidence swaps. The failures that actually cause trouble in court look like this:

  • Missing timestamps. A transfer logged with a date but no time creates an undefined gap. Even a five-minute window with no documentation gives opposing counsel something to work with.
  • Unsigned transfers. If only one party signs during a handoff, the form does not prove the other person actually participated. Both signatures are required at every exchange.
  • Label mismatches. The identifier on the form must match the identifier on the container. Transposing a digit makes the entire record questionable.
  • Vague descriptions. “Brown bag” is not a description. “Brown paper evidence bag, sealed with red tamper-evident tape, containing one black Samsung Galaxy S24, serial number XYZ123” is.
  • Gaps in the timeline. If evidence sat in a car trunk for two hours between collection and booking, that needs to appear on the form. Unexplained gaps suggest the evidence was uncontrolled.

A broken chain does not always mean suppression. Federal courts and most state courts treat chain of custody deficiencies as going to the weight of the evidence rather than automatically excluding it, under Federal Rule of Evidence 901’s requirement that the proponent show the item “is what the proponent claims it is.”8Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Evidence Rule 901 – Authenticating or Identifying Evidence Weakened evidence is still a problem you do not want, and serious enough gaps can lead a judge to suppress the item altogether. The goal is a form clean enough that the chain never becomes an issue.

Storing and Keeping the Completed Form

The completed form is itself a piece of evidence. Store original paper forms in a secure case file or a laboratory information management system with restricted access, and log every entry to the storage area. Scanned copies are useful for day-to-day reference, but the original paper form, or the primary digital record if the form was completed electronically, is what courts want to see.

Retention periods depend on the case type and the regulations that govern your organization. In criminal cases, many jurisdictions require evidence documentation to be preserved at least for the length of a defendant’s incarceration. For workplace exposure and medical records, OSHA’s regulation at 29 CFR 1910.1020 requires employers to retain employee exposure records for at least 30 years and medical records for the duration of employment plus 30 years.9OSHA. 1910.1020 – Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records Chain of custody records tied to specimen collection for occupational health testing fall within those windows. Without a specific regulation, keep the form at least as long as the underlying matter could be reopened, which for serious criminal cases often means indefinitely.