How long should you keep CCTV footage? UK rules and Ajax recording times
There is no fixed legal period for keeping CCTV footage in the UK. The ICO says data protection law sets no minimum or maximum: you keep recordings only as long as your reason for recording needs them, then delete them. Pick a period long enough to notice and report an incident, set the recorder to delete after that, and keep a clip longer only for a specific reason, such as a police investigation. Here is how, with Ajax recording sums.
Is there a legal time limit for keeping CCTV footage?
No. The ICO's video surveillance guidance says the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 set no minimum or maximum retention period. Your purpose decides, the period should be the shortest that serves it, and footage no longer needed should be deleted.
Storage capacity and a manufacturer's default setting are not reasons either: the ICO's example is footage kept six months only because the settings allowed it.
The Home Office's Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, amended in November 2021, says the same in its sixth principle: store no more than the purpose needs, and delete it once that purpose is served. Councils and police in England and Wales must have regard to it; others are encouraged to adopt it.
Which rules apply to your cameras?
| Where the cameras point | Data protection rules apply? | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Home, only your own property | Generally no | GOV.UK still advises deleting footage once it is no longer needed |
| Home, also the pavement, road or a neighbour's garden | Yes | Delete footage regularly or automatically, store it securely, answer requests for copies |
| Shop, workshop, surgery, club or other organisation | Yes, in full under UK GDPR | Set a period from your purpose and check regularly that it is kept to |
How do you choose the right period?
- How long before you would notice? A shop shut over a bank holiday, a unit visited weekly or a house empty for a fortnight needs a period that covers the gap, plus time to look back.
- Is there an investigation? If the police ask you to keep a clip, the ICO and the code allow longer retention for that purpose. Delete it when the need ends.
- Has someone asked for their footage? People you recorded can ask for a copy; the ICO says you generally have one calendar month to reply, so export the recording before it is deleted.
Write the period and the reason down; the ICO expects organisations to check regularly that it is followed.
What happens when the recorder fills up?
Ajax notes that most systems record over the oldest footage once storage is full, so with no limit set the drive size decides: the capacity-led retention the ICO warns against.
The Ajax NVR and NVR HAC, and the memory card in an Ajax TurretCam, BulletCam or DomeCam Mini, have an archive depth setting that caps the days kept: 1 to 360 days, or unlimited. Set it to your chosen period; the current archive depth in the Ajax app shows how many days of footage are stored so far.
Two camera settings also cut what is stored:
- What to record: on detection or scenario, continuously, or never.
- When to record: always, or only while the Ajax alarm is armed, so a camera inside a house records less of the household.
With an Ajax wireless alarm, a scenario can make chosen cameras record when a detector triggers, sending the clip to the Ajax app.
How many days will an Ajax NVR or memory card hold?
That depends on each camera's bitrate, set in kbit/s in its video stream settings. Our CCTV storage calculator works on a simple rule: 1 Mbps recorded for a whole day takes about 10.8 GB.
Days kept = drive size in GB ÷ (total Mbps × 10.8 × share of the day recorded)
The table assumes 4,096 kbit/s (about 4 Mbps) per camera around the clock, our calculator's figure for a 4MP camera in H.265.
| Drive | 4 cameras (about 177 GB a day) | 8 cameras (about 354 GB a day) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 TB | about 22 days | about 11 days |
| 8 TB | about 45 days | about 22 days |
| 12 TB | about 67 days | about 33 days |
Recording on detection for about a quarter of the day lasts roughly four times as long.
- Drive: each Ajax NVR below takes one SATA drive of up to 16 TB, 2.5 or 3.5 inch, not included. Ajax's NVR manual asks for a drive that draws no more than 7 W. Our CCTV hard drives run from 1 TB to 12 TB.
- Memory card: wired cameras such as the Ajax TurretCam 8MP take a 32 to 256 GB microSD card, Class V30 or faster, not included. At 4 Mbps, 256 GB holds about 5 days of continuous recording, or about 23 days recording a quarter of the day.
- Compression: wired Ajax cameras record in H.265 or H.264. Our calculator assumes H.264 needs about twice the space.
- Bandwidth: the Ajax NVR takes up to 100 Mbps of video and the NVR HAC up to 80 Mbps, so sixteen cameras at 8 Mbps (128 Mbps) is too much for either.
Which Ajax recorder, and what does it cost?
| Recorder | Channels | Video bandwidth | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax NVR (8-channel) | 8 | up to 100 Mbps | £199.22 |
| Ajax NVR DC (8-channel), runs on 8 to 16 V DC | 8 | up to 100 Mbps | £199.22 |
| Ajax NVR HAC (8-channel), HDMI output | 8 | up to 80 Mbps | £230.26 |
| Ajax NVR (16-channel) | 16 | up to 100 Mbps | £252.25 |
| Ajax NVR HAC (16-channel), HDMI output | 16 | up to 80 Mbps | £289.77 |
Prices include VAT, delivery is extra, and prices can change.
Worked example: eight cameras at about 4 Mbps around the clock, 30-day policy. 8 TB gives about 22 days, too few; 12 TB gives about 33. Fit 12 TB and set archive depth to 30 days; on a busy scene, record on detection to keep a margin.
How should footage be stored and handed over?
- Limit access. The ICO expects footage stored securely, seen only by people who need it, and encrypted where necessary. In an Ajax system the owner sets access rights for every app user, installer and monitoring operator.
- Off-site copies. Ajax Cloud Storage, a subscription service, keeps event clips for 7 or 30 days alongside an NVR. The ICO accepts secure cloud storage but asks you to check whether a provider abroad means an international transfer.
- Exports. From NVR firmware 2.244 and camera firmware 2.309, downloaded clips carry an Ajax digital signature that the Ajax Media Player can check.
Our take
Decide the number of days first, from how quickly you would spot and report a problem. Then buy a drive that covers it with room to spare, and set the Ajax archive depth to that number so old footage goes automatically. For the wider choices, read our CCTV buying guide.
Zenith Security Co. has supplied security equipment since 2012. We supply Ajax cameras, recorders and the drives for them rather than fit them, and we can recommend a qualified installer depending on the job and area. We cannot give legal advice on a retention policy.
Want help sizing a system? Call 01902 902251, contact us online or visit our Wolverhampton trade counter. We ship nationally to England, Scotland and Wales. Browse Ajax cameras and NVRs or our full Ajax range.
Keeping CCTV footage: quick questions
Is 30 days the legal limit for CCTV footage in the UK?
No. No UK law sets 30 days or any other figure. The ICO says your purpose decides, and footage should be deleted once it is no longer needed.
Can I keep footage longer if the police ask?
Yes. The ICO and the Surveillance Camera Code both allow longer retention for an active investigation. Delete the copy when it ends.
How do I stop an Ajax NVR keeping footage too long?
Set its archive depth in the Ajax app to the days you have chosen, from 1 to 360. Avoid "unlimited", which lets the drive size decide.
Does the Ajax DoorBell keep footage by itself?
No. It has no memory card, so it records to an Ajax NVR or Ajax Cloud Storage. See our Ajax video doorbells.
Source: Ajax Systems blog, 2 April 2026, with the Ajax NVR, NVR HAC and TurretCam manuals and Cloud Storage page; the ICO's video surveillance and home CCTV guidance; the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice; and GOV.UK's domestic CCTV guidance. Storage figures are our estimates.
