What is Chain of Custody?

Chain of Custody refers to the document, or paper trail, showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of physical and electronic evidence. Chain of custody labels and forms are also used in most chemical sampling situations to maintain the integrity of the sample by providing documentation of the control, transfer, and analysis of samples. Chain of custody documents are especially important in environmental work where sampling can identify the existence of contamination and can be used to identify the responsible party.

There are several applications that require Chain of Custody forms aside from the most common usage in laboratories, health care, and medical forms. Chain of Custody Forms can also be found in the Airline, Military, Forestry, Law Enforcement, and Animal Control industries.

What is a Chain of Custody Form?

Most Chain of Custody documents consist of a multi-part form and label combination with barcoding/numbering. The form contains the history of a project, and can be a laser, snap out, or continuous format. The label is used for tracking any portion of the project that may be transferred away from the history. The label can be a variety of stocks depending on the application and what the label is to be applied to. The barcoding/numbering is on both the form and the label, so the two can be traced back to each other and will remain linked throughout any transfers.