State Public Records Laws
Every U.S. state has its own public-records (or "sunshine" / open-records) law governing access to government records — separate from the federal Freedom of Information Act. This directory lists each state's law and a link to its official source.
Always verify with the official source. Public-records laws and their deadlines, fees, and exemptions change and are interpreted by each state. Use the linked official source for current, authoritative detail. For federal records, see FOIA & Public Records. A helpful non-profit overview is the National Freedom of Information Coalition.
| State | Public-records law | Response | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Open Records Law | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Alabama Legislature — Code of Alabama Title 36, Chapter 12 |
| Alaska | Alaska Public Records Act | Varies — see statute | Alaska State Legislature — Alaska Statutes Title 40 |
| Arizona | Arizona Public Records Law | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Arizona State Legislature — Arizona Revised Statutes Title 39 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (Arkansas FOIA) | Varies — see statute | See state statute |
| California | California Public Records Act (CPRA) | Varies — see statute | California Legislative Information — Government Code (CPRA) |
| Colorado | Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Colorado General Assembly — Colorado Revised Statutes Title 24, Article 72 |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission |
| Delaware | Delaware Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) | Varies — see statute | Delaware Department of Justice — Freedom of Information Act |
| Florida | Florida Public Records Act (Florida Sunshine Law) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | See state statute |
| Georgia | Georgia Open Records Act | Varies — see statute | See state statute |
| Hawaii | Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA), Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 92F | Varies — see statute (OIP administrative rules set response timeframes) | Hawaii Office of Information Practices — UIPA |
| Idaho | Idaho Public Records Act, Idaho Code ch. 74, title 74 | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Idaho Attorney General — Public Records |
| Illinois | Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 ILCS 140 | Within 5 business days (extendable); see statute | Illinois Attorney General — Public Access Counselor (FOIA) |
| Indiana | Access to Public Records Act (APRA), Ind. Code 5-14-3 | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Indiana Public Access Counselor |
| Iowa | Iowa Open Records Law, Iowa Code ch. 22 | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Iowa Public Information Board — Public Records |
| Kansas | Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), K.S.A. 45-215 et seq. | Varies — see statute | Kansas Attorney General — Open Government (KORA) |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Open Records Act, KRS 61.870 to 61.884 | Varies — see statute | Kentucky Attorney General — Open Records |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Public Records Act ("Sunshine Law"), La. Rev. Stat. title 44 | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Louisiana Legislature — Revised Statutes Title 44 |
| Maine | Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA), 1 M.R.S. ch. 13 | Reasonable time per statute; acknowledgment required | Maine — Freedom of Access Act |
| Maryland | Maryland Public Information Act (PIA), Md. Code, Gen. Provisions, title 4 | Varies — see statute | Maryland Attorney General — Public Information Act |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Public Records Law (G.L. c. 66, § 10) | Within 10 business days | See state statute |
| Michigan | Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq. | Within 5 business days (one 10-day extension allowed) | Michigan Legislature — FOIA (Act 442 of 1976) |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), Minn. Stat. Ch. 13 | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Minnesota Dept. of Administration — Data Practices Office |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-1 et seq. | Within 7 working days (unless a shorter policy applies) | Mississippi Ethics Commission — Public Records Act |
| Missouri | Missouri Sunshine Law, Mo. Rev. Stat. Ch. 610 | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Missouri Attorney General — Sunshine Law |
| Montana | Montana constitutional right to know (Art. II, § 9) and Public Records Act (Mont. Code Ann. Title 2, Ch. 6) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Montana Constitution — Article II, Section 9 (Right to Know) |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Public Records Statutes, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712 et seq. | Within 4 business days | Nebraska Attorney General — Public Records |
| Nevada | Nevada Public Records Act (NPRA), NRS Chapter 239 | By the end of the 5th business day | Nevada State Library, Archives & Public Records — Public Records |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Right-to-Know Law, RSA 91-A | Within 5 business days | New Hampshire Department of Justice / RSA 91-A |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. | Within 7 business days (14 for commercial requests) | New Jersey Government Records Council — OPRA |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | See state statute |
| New York | New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | See state statute |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Public Records Law | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | North Carolina General Assembly — Public Records (Chapter 132) |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Open Records Law (Century Code ch. 44-04) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | North Dakota Attorney General — Open Records & Meetings |
| Ohio | Ohio Public Records Act | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Ohio Attorney General — Sunshine Laws / Public Records |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Open Records Act | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | See state statute |
| Oregon | Oregon Public Records Law | Varies — see statute | Oregon Department of Justice — Public Records and Meetings Law |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) | Varies — see statute | Pennsylvania Office of Open Records — About the Right-to-Know Law |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act (APRA) | Varies — see statute | See state statute |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) | Varies — see statute | South Carolina Attorney General — Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Public Records Law (Sunshine Law) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | South Dakota Legislature — Codified Laws Ch. 1-27 |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Tennessee Comptroller — Office of Open Records Counsel |
| Texas | Texas Public Information Act (PIA) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | See state statute |
| Utah | Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) | Varies — see statute | Utah State Archives — GRAMA |
| Vermont | Vermont Public Records Act | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | See state statute |
| Virginia | Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) | Varies — see statute | See state statute |
| Washington | Washington Public Records Act (PRA) | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Washington Attorney General — Open Government |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) | Varies — see statute | West Virginia Legislature — Code Ch. 29B |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Public Records Law | Promptly / reasonable time per statute | Wisconsin Department of Justice — Public Records |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Public Records Act | Varies — see statute | Wyoming Statutes — Title 16, Ch. 4 (via Wyoming Legislature) |