Public records
Open by default.
Emails, contracts, budgets and reports of State agencies belong to the public. Here is how to ask for them.
Your right to see records
Under the Leonida Public Records Act, anyone may ask to see or copy the records of a State agency: emails, contracts, reports, budgets and meeting minutes. You do not need to be a resident or to say why you are asking.
How to make a request
- Write to the records officer of the agency that keeps the record, by email or by mail
- Describe the record as precisely as you can: subject, dates, people involved
- Say whether you want to see it, receive a copy, or both
Agencies acknowledge requests within three business days and tell you if the search will take longer than ten.
What can be withheld
Some information is protected by law and is blacked out before release: Social Security numbers, medical records, active criminal investigations, security plans and the home addresses of police officers and judges.
Fees
Looking at records is free. Copies cost 15 cents per page; electronic copies are free when they take less than 30 minutes to prepare. You are told the cost before any work starts.