The Kansas Open Records Act recognizes that some records contained information which is private in nature. For this reason, the Act lists a number of exemptions. Records which are protected for this reason may include:

• personnel information of public employees
• medical treatment records
• records which are protected by the attorney-client privilege or the rules of evidence
• records containing personnel information
• compiled for Census purposes
• notes and preliminary drafts
• criminal investigation records
• several other specific records

For a complete listing of exemptions see K.S.A. 45-221.

Step 1
Check with the Department/Division records custodian or the local Freedom of Information Officer to determine whether the information you need is available. Please remember to be courteous and specific when requesting information so the records custodian will be able to serve you better.

Step 2
You may be asked to submit your request for information in writing. The records custodian will have a prepared form for this purpose. Make sure your request is as specific as possible so your request may be filled quickly and completely. The records custodian may ask detailed questions in order to fulfill your request accurately.

Step 3
Most records will be produced within a maximum of three business days from the time the request is received. If the request is delayed or denied, a written explanation will be provided for the delay or denial.

Step 4
If you have any questions about your request, contact your local Freedom of Information Officer.

The Kansas Open Records Act authorizes agencies to charge fees for providing access to or furnishing copies of public records. The fee may be requested in advance and may include:

• Cost of staff time required to make the information available.
• Cost of copying or reproducing the record.

The fee schedule is on file in the office of the City Clerk/LFIO.

Although every attempt will be made to provide the information requested, it is not always possible to fulfill the request. There are a number of reasons that a request may be denied:

• The specific record that was requested does not exist.
• The request was unclear and should be resubmitted with more detail.
• The record requested is closed to protect an important privacy interest (see the list of exceptions to the Kansas Open Records Act – K.S.A. 45-221).

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