💡 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Export or archive policies: Download policies as PDFs or archive outdated versions while preserving audit history.
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Archived: The policy is no longer active but retained for audit purposes.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:
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
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:
A new minor version is created (for example, v1.0 → v1.1)
The update can be published immediately by a Policy Owner
Roles and permissions
Actions available in the Policy Center depend on your role.
Policy Owners can create, edit, and publish policies.
Approvers can review and approve assigned policies.
Manage archived or replaced policies
In the Archived or replaced tab, you can:
Restore archived policies
View versions replaced by custom policies
Download previous versions for reference