Arizona Public Records Law
The Arizona Public Records Law is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Arizona. The law was first enacted in 1901.
Statutes 39.101 - 39.221 define the law.
The Arizona Open Meetings Act legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted. Statute 38.431.01 defines the law.
To learn more about how to make a public records request in this state, please see: Arizona FOIA procedures
Recent News
- See also: Arizona transparency headlines
Transparency blocking
- Arizona resident seeks access to Q.C. training videos 2009-05-19 09:30:41
- Vasquez used work computer to send info on rival 2009-05-19 09:22:28
- MCSO stymies requests for information — even from regulators 2009-05-19 08:14:11
More transparency blocking news from across the country.
Litigation
- Arizona Supreme Court Rules Electronic Information Subject to Records Requests 2011-02-16 12:14:30
- Arizona government corruption 2010-11-24 11:24:15
- Glendale sued for denying FOIA request 2010-08-25 10:01:16
More FOIA litigation news from across the country.
Legislation
- Arizona Bill makes disciplinary records public 2009-05-19 08:10:10
More FOIA legislation news from across the country.
Sunshine Guardians
No recent news. If you have news add it here
Other Sunshine Guardians from across the country.
Relevant legal cases
- See also: Court cases with an impact on state FOIA
Here is a list of lawsuits in Arizona. For more information go the the page or go to Arizona sunshine lawsuits.
(The cases are listed alphabetically. To order them by year please click the icon to the right of the Year heading)
| Lawsuit | Year |
|---|---|
| Arizona Newspapers Inc. v. Superior Court | 1985 |
| Carlson v. Pima County | 1984 |
| City of Prescott v. Town of Chino Valley | 1990 |
| Cox Arizona Publications Inc. v. Collins | 1993 |
| Lake v. City of Phoenix | 2009 |
| Mathews v. Pyle | 1952 |
Proposed transparency legislation
2011
We do not currently have any legislation for Arizona in 2011. To add some, please see WikiProject Proposed state sunshine legislation.
2010
Here are a list of 30 random bills from Arizona from 2010. For a full list, please see Arizona transparency legislation.
|
|
|
Transparency report card
A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked Arizona #11 in the nation (along with Illinois and West Virginia) with an overall percentage of 58.00%. [1]
A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave Arizona 22 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "F", and a ranking of 44 out of the 50 states.[2]
A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked Arizona's law as the 46th worst in the country, giving it a letter grade of "F".[3]
Features of the law
Compare States: Sunshine variations: Click on the heading to compare your state's law to other state's transparency laws.
Declared legal intention
While the law does not explicitly state an intention, it does state "Public records and other matters in the custody of any officer shall be open to inspection by any person at all times during office hours."[4]
What records are covered?
Public records are defined by statute 41-1350 as "all books, papers, maps, photographs or other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, including prints or copies of such items produced or reproduced on film or electronic media pursuant to section 41-1348, made or received by any governmental agency in pursuance of law or in connection with the transaction of public business."[5]
Exemptions
Exemptions to the definition of record include the home addresses and telephone numbers of individuals, as well as information concerning archaeological discoveries or places of historic interest if the department feels that it will increase the potential for vandalism.[6][7] Records indicating risk assessment to infrastructure which could decrease security are also protected. [8]
Electronic records
Lake v. City of Phoenix recently established that digital meta-data, attached to files stored in any electronic form are considered part of that document and are thus subject to open records requests.
Deliberative process
Arizona law does not current;y permit an exemption for materials which fall under the deliberative process.[9]
What agencies are covered?
The Arizona statutes define "public bodies" subject to public records laws as "the state, any county, city, town, school district, political subdivision or tax-supported district in the state, any branch, department, board, bureau, commission, council or committee of the foregoing, and any public organization or agency, supported in whole or in part by monies from the state or any political subdivision of the state, or expending monies provided by the state or any political subdivision of the state." [10]
Legislature
- Ambiguous
The Arizona Public Records Law is ambiguous as to whether or not the law applies to the legislature. However the broad definition of public body found at Arizona Statute 39-121.01-A-2 would presumably include state legislators.
Privatized governmental agencies
In Arizona, private entities which receive public funding are subject to the states open records and open meetings laws. [11]
Public universities
The definition of public body presumably includes public universities within the state. However, state laws on education provide explicit exemptions for Intellectual property as a trade secret if it is included in unfunded grant applications, proprietary data collected by third parties and proprietary data collected by university faculty and employees. The act also includes exemptions for historical information and materials donated to the university and monetary donor information if the donor requests anonymity. [12] There are also exemptions for unprofessional conduct investigations of teachers. [13]
Who may request records?
Arizona statute 39-121 states that anyone may request records at any time during office hours.[14]
Must a purpose be stated?
Arizona law requires individuals who are making a FOIA request for commercial purposes to state those purposes. Further, if the department from which the records are requested feels that the purpose is a misuse of public records, they may submit a request to the governor to prevent the release of the records. Failure to claim a commercial purpose can result in litigation and heavy penalization. [15]
How can records be used?
Arizona has no restrictions on the use of records outside of statute 39-121 which implies the potential for misuse of public records for commercial purposes.
Time allowed for response
- N/A
Arizona state law does not specify the amount of time allotted for filling a public records request.
Fees for records
Copy costs:
Arizona statute allows for the charging of reasonable fees for publication, mailing and search expenses. Exceptions to fees include records that are meant to be used in a claim against the federal government concerning "pension, allotment, allowance, compensation, insurance or other benefits" [16]. Also, victims to criminal offenses or family members of incapacitated or deceased victims can request one copy of the police record for free. [17]
Search fees:
The Arizona law allows agencies to charge reasonable fees to cover search expenses but does not elaborate on what those fees may be. [16]
Role of the Attorney General
There is currently no provision within the state open records law that empowers the State Department of Law to enforce the right of the public to access governmental records.
Open meetings
The Open Meetings Act states, "All meetings of any public body shall be public meetings and all persons so desiring shall be permitted to attend and listen to the deliberations and proceedings. All legal action of public bodies shall occur during a public meeting."[18] To read more about the law, see: Arizona Open Meetings Act.
Notable requests
See also
- Arizona FOIA procedures
- Private agency, public dollars-Arizona
- Arizona transparency headlines
- Arizona transparency advocates
- Arizona transparency legislation
- Arizona Open Meetings Act
External links
- Arizona Public Records statute 39
- Open Government Guide to Arizona
- Past articles on Arizona
- Ross-Blakley Law Library Guide to Arizona Public Records
- Arizona Open Meetings Law in a Nutshell
- Arizona Open Meetings statute 38
- FOIA Facts from the Goldwater Institute
- See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
References
- ↑ 2008 BGA-Alper Integrity Index
- ↑ States Failing FOI Responsiveness, National Freedom of Information Coalition, October 2007
- ↑ Freedom of Information in the USA, 2002
- ↑ AZ Rev. Stat. 39-121
- ↑ Definition of records 41-1350
- ↑ Arizona Statute 39-123
- ↑ Arizona Statute 39-125
- ↑ Arizona Statute 39-126
- ↑ Deliberative process exemption-Arizona
- ↑ Arizona Statute 39-121.01-A-2
- ↑ Private agency, public dollars-Arizona
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Arizona Statute 15-1640
- ↑ RCFP Guide to AZ
- ↑ Arizona Statute 39-121
- ↑ Arizona Statute 39-121.03
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Arizona Statute 39-122
- ↑ 39-127
- ↑ Definition of meetings 38-431.01
| |||||||||||
 |
State of Arizona Phoenix (capital) |
|---|---|
| Transparency |
Public Records Law | Open Meetings Act | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | |
| Divisions |
State |
List of counties |
List of Cities |
List of school districts | |
| State spending |
State budget | State salaries | Stimulus allocations | Taxpayer-funded lobbying | |
| Government |
Arizona State Constitution | Executive | House of Representatives | Senate | Local officials | Public school system | |
| Judiciary |
Arizona Supreme Court | Arizona Court of Appeals | Arizona General Jurisdiction Court | Arizona Limited Jurisdiction Courts | Judicial selection in Arizona | Judicial News | Judicial activists organizations | |
| Ballot Measures |
2008 ballot measures | Arizona citizen initiatives 2002-2006 | Arizona local initiative and referendum | Arizona School Bond Issues | Process of Initiatives | Campaign finances | |
