Rhode Island public records are broadly accessible under the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act (APRA), codified at R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 38-2-1 through 38-2-15. Enacted in 1979 — making it one of the younger open records laws in New England — the APRA establishes the public’s right to inspect and copy all records … Read more
Maine public records are broadly accessible under the Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA), codified at 1 M.R.S. §§ 400–414. Enacted in 1959, the FOAA is one of the oldest state open records laws in the country. The Act declares it the intent of the Legislature that the actions of public bodies be taken openly … Read more
Vermont public records are broadly accessible under the Vermont Public Records Act, codified at 1 V.S.A. §§ 315–320, with a constitutional foundation in Chapter I, Article 6 of the Vermont Constitution. The law’s policy statement is unusually direct: officers of government are trustees and servants of the people, and the provisions of the Act shall … Read more
New Hampshire public records — officially called governmental records since 2008 — are information created, accepted, or obtained by or on behalf of any public body or agency in furtherance of its official function, broadly accessible under the New Hampshire Right-to-Know Law, codified at RSA Chapter 91-A. Enacted in 1967 and amended repeatedly since, the … Read more
South Dakota public records are government-created documents, databases, filings, and communications maintained by state and local agencies that are broadly accessible under the South Dakota Public Records Law, codified at S.D.C.L. Chapter 1-27. The law establishes a presumption that all records of public entities are open to inspection and copying by any person, unless a … Read more
North Dakota public records are government-created documents, databases, filings, and communications maintained by state and local agencies that are broadly accessible under both the North Dakota Constitution and the state’s open records statutes, codified primarily at N.D.C.C. §§ 44-04-17.1 through 44-04-29. North Dakota’s constitution, Article XI, Section 6, and the Supreme Court’s Administrative Rule 41 … Read more
Wyoming public records are government-created documents, databases, filings, and communications maintained by state and local agencies that are broadly accessible to the public under the Wyoming Public Records Act (WPRA), codified at Wyo. Stat. §§ 16-4-201 through 16-4-205. The law establishes that all public records shall be open for inspection by any person at reasonable … Read more
Montana public records are government-created documents, databases, filings, and communications maintained by state and local agencies that are broadly accessible under both a constitutional guarantee and the Montana Public Records Act, codified at Mont. Code Ann. §§ 2-6-1001 through 2-6-1014. Unlike most states where open records access is purely a statutory right, Montana’s 1972 Constitution … Read more
Idaho public records are government-created documents, databases, filings, and communications maintained by state and local agencies that are broadly accessible to the public under the Idaho Public Records Act, codified at Idaho Code §§ 74-101 through 74-127. The law establishes an explicit presumption that all public records are open at all reasonable times for inspection: … Read more
Nebraska public records are government-created documents, databases, filings, and communications maintained by state and local agencies that are generally accessible to the public under the Nebraska Public Records Statutes, codified at Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 84-712 through 84-712.09. The law establishes a strong presumption that all government records are open, and Nebraska courts have directed … Read more