💡 Still using the classic Drata experience? Refer to Policy Center overview for the original UI.

The Policy Center streamlines policy management by making policy status, approvals, and version history easier to view and manage.

What you can do in the Policy Center

You can use the Policy Center to:

Create or upload policies: Start from a Drata template or upload your own policy files.
Edit policy content: Update policy language, attachments, and version details.
Assign approvers and publish policies: Configure multi-tier approval workflows. You can define approvers at each stage and control which actions are available per tier. Once all required approvals are complete, the policy is ready to publish.
Track versions and status: Monitor draft, approval, and published versions of each policy in one place.
Export or archive policies: Download policies as PDFs or archive outdated versions while preserving audit history.
Update policies: Follow a step-by-step process to edit policy content, classify changes as material or non-material, and manage acknowledgments effectively.

Policy lifecycle at a glance

Policies move through the following stages:

Draft: The policy is being created or edited.
Needs approval: The policy is waiting for required approvals.
Ready to publish: All approvals are complete, and the policy can be published.
Published: The policy is active and enforceable.
Archived: The policy is no longer active but retained for audit purposes.

Understanding policy status helps you quickly identify blockers and keep policies current.

Understand material vs. non-material changes

When you update an already published policy, you must classify the type of change you’re making. This helps Drata determine whether the update requires re-approval and personnel acknowledgment.

Material changes substantially affect the policy’s intent or scope. When you mark an update as material changes: Version increments occur only upon publishing. For example, a policy in draft or approval stages retains its current version number until it is published, at which point the version number increments to the next major version (e.g., v1.0 → v2.0).

Drata starts a new approval workflow, meaning the policy must be reviewed and approved again before it can be published
A new major version is created (for example, v1.0 → v2.0)
Personnel must acknowledge the updated policy after it is published
Drata immediately updates the compliance dashboard and policy status upon publication
Assigned employees will see the new version as pending acknowledgment in their My Drata portal
Employees will receive re-acknowledgment prompts and notifications right away

Non-material changes include minor wording, formatting, or clarification updates that don’t change the policy’s intent. When you mark an update as non-material: Drata automatically creates a new version of the policy whenever an update is made, ensuring a clear history of changes. For non-material updates, this results in a minor version increment (e.g., v1.0 → v1.1).

A new minor version is created (for example, v1.0 → v1.1)
The update can be published immediately by a Policy Owner. For non-material changes, the policy is updated without triggering acknowledgment or notifications unless explicitly configured.
Examples of non-material changes include grammatical corrections, formatting adjustments, or minor clarifications.

Steps to Update a Policy

Follow these steps to update a policy in Drata:

Navigate to the Policy Center in your Drata dashboard.
Locate the policy you wish to update.
Click the Edit icon next to the policy or open the policy directly for editing.
Make the necessary changes to the policy content.
Click Finalize draft to save your changes.
When prompted, specify the type of change:
- Material Change: This updates the policy to a new major version (e.g., v1.0 → v2.0) and requires employee acknowledgment.
- Non-Material Change: This updates the policy to a new minor version (e.g., v1.0 → v1.1) and does not require acknowledgment unless specified.
Publish the updated policy. This action will update assignments and trigger acknowledgment for material changes as needed.