Open Records Act

Title 51, Oklahoma Statutes §§ 24A.1-24A.24

(As Amended Through Close of Forty-Seventh Oklahoma Legislature, Second Regular Session and First Extraordinary Session, 2000) [Editor’s Note: Bold face, italics and underlines were added for emphasis and clarity. Comments and explanations not part of the act are enclosed in brackets.]

§ 24A.1. Short title
Section 24A.1 et seq. of this title shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma Open Records Act”.

§ 24A.2. Public policy—Purpose of act
As the Oklahoma Constitution recognizes and guaran­tees, all political power is inherent in the people. Thus, it is the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government. The Oklahoma Open Records Act shall not create, directly or indirectly, any rights of privacy or any remedies for violation of any rights of privacy; nor shall the Oklahoma Open Records Act, except as specifically set forth in the Oklahoma Open Records Act, establish any procedures for protecting any person from release of information contained in public records. The purpose of this act is to ensure and facilitate the public’s right of access to and review of government records so they may efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power. The privacy interests of indi­viduals are adequately protected in the specific exceptions to the Oklahoma Open Records Act or in the statutes which authorize, create or require the records. Except where spe­cific state or federal statutes create a confidential privilege, persons who submit information to public bodies have no right to keep this information from public access nor rea­sonable expectation that this information will be kept from public access; provided, the person, agency or political sub­division shall at all times bear the burden of establishing such records are protected by such a confidential privilege. Except as may be required by other statutes, public bodies do not need to follow any procedures for providing access to public records except those specifically required by the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

§ 24A.3. Definitions
Definitions. As used in this act:
1. “Record” means all documents, including, but not limited to, any book, paper, photograph, microfilm, data files created by or used with com­puter software, computer tape, disk, and record, sound recording, film recording, video record or other material regardless of physical form or charac­teristic, created by, received by, under the authority of, or coming into the custody, control or possession of public officials, public bodies, or their representa­tives in connection with the transaction of public business, the expenditure of public funds or the administering of public property. “Record” does not mean computer software, nongovernment personal effects or, unless public disclosure is required by other laws or regulations, vehicle movement records of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority obtained in connection with the Authority’s electronic toll col­lection system, personal financial information, cred­it reports or other financial data obtained by or sub­mitted to a public body for the purpose of evaluating credit worthiness, obtaining a license, permit, or for the purpose of becoming qualified to contract with a public body;
2. “Public body” shall include, but not be lim­ited to, any office, department, board, bureau, com­mission, agency, trusteeship, authority, council, committee, trust or any entity created by a trust, county, city, village, town, township, district, school district, fair board, court, executive office, advisory group, task force, study group, or any subdivision thereof, supported in whole or in part by public funds or entrusted with the expenditure of public funds or administering or operating public property, and all committees, or subcommittees thereof. Except for the records required by Section 24A.4. of this title, “public body” does not mean judges, jus­tices, the Council on Judicial Complaints, the Legislature, or legislators;
3. “Public office” means the physical location where public bodies conduct business or keep records;
4. “Public official” means any official or employee of any public body as defined herein; and
5. “Law enforcement agency” means any pub­lic body charged with enforcing state or local crimi­nal laws and initiating criminal prosecutions, includ­ing, but not limited to, police departments, county sheriffs, the Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

§ 24A.4. Record of receipts and expenditures
In addition to other records which are kept or main­tained, every public body and public official has a specific duty to keep and maintain complete records of the receipt and expenditure of any public funds reflecting all financial and business transactions relating thereto, except that such records may be disposed of as provided by law.
[“Judgments, orders and settlements of claims [under the Governmental Tort Claims Act] shall be open public records unless sealed by the court for good cause shown.” 51 O.S. Supp. 1997, § 158, ¶ F.]

§ 24A.5. Inspection, copying and/or mechanical reproduction of records—Exemptions
All records of public bodies and public officials shall be open to any person for inspection, copying, and/or mechan­ical reproduction during regular business hours; provided:
1. The Oklahoma Open Records Act, Section 24A.1 et seq. of this title, does not apply to records specifically required by law to be kept confidential including:
a. records protected by a state evidentiary privilege such as the attorney-client privilege, the work product immunity from discovery and the identity of informer privileges; or
b. records of what transpired during meet­ings of a public body lawfully closed to the pub­lic such as executive sessions authorized under the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, Section 301 et seq. of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
2. Any reasonably segregable portion of a record containing exempt material shall be provided after deletion of the exempt portions, provided how­ever, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety shall not be required to assemble for the requesting person specific information requested from the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety’s Driver License file relating to persons whose names and dates of birth or whose driver license numbers are not furnished by the requesting person. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations shall not be required to assemble for the requesting person any criminal history records relating to persons whose names and dates of birth are not furnished by the requesting person. 3. Any request for a record which contains indi­vidual records of persons and the cost of copying, reproducing or certifying such individual record which is otherwise prescribed by state law, the cost may be assessed for each individual record, or por­tion thereof requested as prescribed by state law. Otherwise, a public body may charge a fee only for recovery of the reasonable, direct costs of document copying, or mechanical reproduction. Notwithstanding any state or local provision to the contrary, in no instance shall said document copying fee exceed twenty-five cents ($0.25) per page for documents having the dimensions of eight and one half (8 1/2) by fourteen (14) inches or smaller, or a maximum of One Dollar ($1.00) per copied page for a certified copy. However, if the request:
a. is solely for commercial purpose, or
b. would clearly cause excessive disruption of the public body’s essential functions,
then the public body may charge a reasonable fee to recov­er the direct cost of document search; however, publication in a newspaper or by broadcast news media for news pur­poses shall not constitute a resale or use of data for trade or commercial purpose and charges for providing copies of electronic data to the news media for a news purpose shall not exceed the direct cost of making the copy. Any public body establishing fees under this act shall post a written schedule of said fees at its principal office and with the county clerk. In no case shall a search fee be charged when the release of said documents is in the public interest, including, but not limited to, release to the news media, scholars, authors and taxpayers seeking to determine whether those entrust­ed with the affairs of the government are honestly, faithful­ly, and competently performing their duties as public ser­vants. The fees shall not be used for the purpose of discourag­ing requests for information or as obstacles to disclosure of requested information.
4. The land description tract index of all record­ed instruments concerning real property required to be kept by the county clerk of any county shall be available for inspection or copying in accordance with the provisions of the Oklahoma Open Records Act; provided, however, such index shall not be copied and/or mechanically reproduced for the pur­pose of sale of such information.
5. A public body must provide prompt, reason­able access to its records but may establish reason­able procedures which protect the integrity and organization of its records and to prevent excessive disruptions of its essential functions.
6. A public body shall designate certain persons who are authorized to release records of the public body for inspection, copying, or mechanical repro­duction. At least one such person shall be available at all times to release records during the regular business hours of the public body.

§ 24A.6. Public body maintaining less than 30 hours of regular business per week—Inspection, copying or mechanical reproduction of records
A. If a public body or its office does not have regular business hours of at least thirty (30) hours a week, the public body shall post and maintain writ­ten notice at its principal office and with the county clerk where the public body is located which notice shall:
1. Designate the days of the week when records are available for inspection, copying or mechanical reproduction;
2. Set forth the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the individual in charge of the records; and
3. Describe in detail the procedures for obtaining access to the records at least two days of the week, excluding Sunday.
B. The person requesting the record and the per­son authorized to release the records of the public body may agree to inspection, copying, or mechani­cal reproduction on a day and at a time other than that designated in the notice.

§ 24A.7. Personnel records —Confidentiality—Inspection and copying
A. A public body may keep personnel records confidential:
1. Which relate to internal personnel inves­tigations including examination and selection material for employment, hiring, appointment, promotion, demotion, discipline, or resignation; or
2. Where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal priva­cy such as employee evaluations, payroll deductions, employment applications submitted by persons not hired by the public body, and transcripts from institutions of higher education maintained in the personnel files of certified public school employees; provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall be con­strued to exempt from disclosure the degree obtained and the curriculum on the transcripts of certified public school employees.
B. All personnel records not specifically falling within the exceptions provided in subsection A of this section shall be available for public inspection and copying including, but not limited to, records of:
1. An employment application of a person who becomes a public official;
2. The gross receipts of public funds;
3. The dates of employment, title or posi­tion; and
4. Any final disciplinary action resulting in loss of pay, suspension, demotion of position, or termination.
C. Except as may otherwise be made confiden­tial by statute, an employee of a public body shall have a right of access to his own personnel file.
D. Public bodies shall keep confidential the home address of any person employed or formerly employed by the public body.

§ 24A.8. Law enforcement records—Disclosure
A. Law enforcement agencies shall make avail­able for public inspection, if kept, the following records:
1. An arrestee description, including the name, date of birth, address, race, sex, physical description, and occupation of the arrestee;
2. Facts concerning the arrest, including the cause of arrest and the name of the arresting officer;
3. Conviction information, including the name of any person convicted of a criminal offense;
4. Disposition of all warrants, including orders signed by a judge of any court com­manding a law enforcement officer to arrest a particular person;
5. A chronological list of incidents, includ­ing initial offense report information showing the offense, date, time, general location, officer and a brief summary of what occurred;
6. A crime summary, including a depart­mental summary of crimes reported and public calls for service by classification or nature and number;
7. Radio logs, including a chronological listing of the calls dispatched; and
8. Jail registers, including jail blotter data or jail booking information recorded on persons at the time of incarceration showing the name of each prisoner with the date and cause of his commitment, the authority committing him, whether committed for a criminal offense, a description of his person, and the date or man­ner of his discharge or escape.
B. Except for the records listed in subsection A of this section and those made open by other state or local laws, law enforcement agencies may deny access to law enforcement records except where a court finds that the public interest or the interest of an individual outweighs the reason for denial.
C. Nothing contained in this section imposes any new recordkeeping requirements. Law enforce­ment records shall be kept for as long as is now or may hereafter be specified by law. Absent a legal requirement for the keeping of a law enforcement record for a specific time period, law enforcement agencies shall maintain their records for so long as needed for administrative purposes.
D. Registration files maintained by the Department of Corrections pursuant to the provi­sions of the Sex Offenders Registration Act shall not be made available for public inspection. [NOTE: Registration files “shall be made avail­able for public inspection pursuant to rules promul­gated by the Department of Corrections.” 57 O.S. Supp. 1997, §584, ¶ E.]
E. The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (C.L.E.E.T.) shall keep confidential all records it maintains pursuant to Section 3311 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes and deny release of records relating to any employed or certified full-time officer, reserve officer, retired officer or other person; teacher lesson plans, tests and other teaching materials; and personal communications concerning individual students except under the following cir­cumstances:
1. To verify the current certification status of any peace officer;
2. As may be required to perform the duties imposed by Section 3311 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
3. To provide to any peace officer copies of the records of that peace officer upon submit­ting a written report;
4. To provide final orders of administrative proceedings where an adverse action was taken against a peace officer; and
5. Pursuant to an order of the district court of the State of Oklahoma.

§ 24A.9. Personal notes and personally created material—Confidentiality
Prior to taking action, including making a recommen­dation or issuing a report, a public official may keep confi­dential his or her personal notes and personally created materials other than departmental budget requests of a pub­lic body prepared as an aid to memory or research leading to the adoption of a public policy or the implementation of a public project.

§ 24A.10. Voluntarily supplied information— Bids, computer programs, appraisals and prospective business locations—Department of Commerce records— Confidentiality—Disclosure
A. Any information, records or other material heretofore voluntarily supplied to any state agency, board or commission which was not required to be considered by that agency, board or commission in the performance of its duties may, within thirty (30) days from the effective date of this act [June 6, 1988; sec 1988 Okla. Sess. Laws c. 187 §5], be removed from the files of such agency, board or commission by the person or entity which originally voluntarily supplied such information. Provided, after thirty (30) days from the effective date of this act, any information voluntarily supplied shall be subject to full disclosure pursuant to this act.
B. If disclosure would give an unfair advantage to competitors or bidders, a public body may keep confidential records relating to:
1. Bid specifications for competitive bid­ding prior to publication by the public body; or
2. Contents of sealed bids prior to the open­ing of bids by a public body; or
3. Computer programs or software but not data thereon; or
4. Appraisals relating to the sale or acquisi­tion of real estate by a public body prior to award of a contract; or
5. The prospective location of a private business or industry prior to public disclosure of such prospect except for records otherwise open to inspection such as applications for per­mits or licenses.
C. Except as set forth hereafter, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce may keep confidential:
1. Business plans, feasibility studies, financing proposals, marketing plans, financial statements or trade secrets submitted by a per­son or entity seeking economic advice from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce; and
2. Information compiled by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce in response to those submissions.
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce may not keep confidential that submitted infor­mation when and to the extent the person or entity submitting the information consents to disclosure.
D. Although they must provide public access to their records, including records of name, address, rate paid for services, charges and payment for each customer, public bodies that provide utility services to the public may keep confidential credit informa­tion, credit card numbers, telephone numbers, and bank account information for individual customers.

§ 24A.10a. Oklahoma Medical Center —Market research and marketing plans —Confidentiality
The Oklahoma Medical Center may keep confidential market research conducted by and marketing plans devel­oped by the Oklahoma Medical Center if the Center deter­mines that disclosure of such research or plans would give an unfair advantage to competitors of the Oklahoma Medical Center regarding marketing research and planning, public education, and advertising and promotion of special and general services provided by the Oklahoma Medical Center.

§ 24A.11. Library, archive or museum materials —Confidentiality
A. A public body may keep confidential library, archive, or museum materials donated to the public body to the extent of any limitations imposed as a condition of the donation and any information which would reveal the identity of an individual who law­fully makes a donation to or on behalf of a public body including, but not limited to, donations made through a foundation operated in compliance with Sections 5-145 and 4306 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
B. If library, archive, or museum materials are donated to a public body and the donation may be claimed as a tax deduction, the public body may keep confidential any information required as a con­dition of the donation except the date of the dona­tion, the appraised value claimed for the donation, and a general description of the materials donated and their quantity.

§ 24A.12. Litigation files and investigatory files of Attorney General, district or municipal attorney —Confidentiality
Except as otherwise provided by state or local law, the Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma and agency attorneys authorized by law, the office of the district attor­ney of any county of the state, and the office of the munic­ipal attorney of any municipality may keep its litigation files and investigatory reports confidential.

§ 24A.13. Federal records—Confidentiality
Records coming into the possession of a public body from the federal government or records generated or gath­ered as a result of federal legislation may be kept confiden­tial to the extent required by federal law. § 24A.14. Personal communications relating to exercise of constitutional rights—Confidentiality
Except for the fact that a communication has been received and that it is or is not a complaint, a public official may keep confidential personal communications received by the public official from a person exercising rights secured by the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma or the Constitution of the United States. The public official’s written response to this personal communication may be kept confidential only to the extent necessary to protect the identity of the person exercising the right.

§ 24A.15. Crop and livestock reports —Public warehouse financial statements —Confidentiality
A. The Division of Agricultural Statistics, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, also known as the Oklahoma Crop and Livestock Reporting Service, may keep confidential crop and livestock reports provided by farmers, ranchers, and agri-busi-nesses to the extent the reports individually identify the providers.
B. The State Board of Agriculture is authorized to provide for the confidentiality of any financial statement filed pursuant to Section 9-22 of Title 2 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Copies of such financial statements may only be obtained upon written request to the Commissioner of Agriculture.
Upon good cause shown, and at the discretion of the Commissioner of Agriculture, such financial statements may be released.

§ 24A.16. Educational records and materials —Confidentiality
A. Except as set forth in subsection B of this sec­tion, public educational institutions and their employees may keep confidential:
1. Individual student records;
2. Teacher lesson plans, tests and other teaching material; and
3. Personal communications concerning individual students.
B. If kept, statistical information not identified with a particular student and directory information shall be open for inspection and copying. “Directory information” includes a student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activ­ities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous edu­cational institution attended by the student. Any edu­cational agency or institution making public directo­ry information shall give public notice of the cate­gories of information which it has designated as such information with respect to each student attending the institution or agency and shall allow a reasonable period of time after such notice has been given for a parent to inform the institution or agency that any or all of the information designated should not be released without the parent’s or guardian’s prior consent or the student’s himself if he is eight­een (18) years of age or older.

§ 24A.17. Violations—Penalties—Civil liability
A. Any public official who willfully violates any provision of the Oklahoma Open Records Act, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
B. Any person denied access to a record of a public body or public official may bring a civil suit for declarative and/or injunctive relief and, if suc­cessful, shall be entitled to reasonable attorney fees. If the public body or public official successfully defends a civil suit and the court finds that the suit was clearly frivolous, the public body or public offi­cial shall be entitled to reasonable attorney fees.
C. A public body or public official shall not be civilly liable for damages for providing access to records as allowed under the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

§ 24A.18. Additional recordkeeping not required
Except as may be required in Section 4 [§24A.4] of this act, this act does not impose any additional recordkeeping requirements on public bodies or public officials.

§ 24A.19. Research records—Confidentiality
In addition to other records that a public body may keep confidential pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Open Records Act, a public body may keep confidential any information related to research, the disclosure of which could affect the conduct or outcome of the research, the ability to patent or copyright the research, or any other pro­prietary rights any entity might have in the research or the results of the research; including, but not limited to, trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from an entity financing or cooperating in the research, research protocols, and research notes, data, results or other unpublished writings about the research.

§24A.20. Records in litigation or investigation file—Access
Access to records which, under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, would otherwise be available for public inspection and copying, shall not be denied because a pub­lic body or public official is using or has taken possession of such records for investigatory purposes or has placed the records in a litigation or investigation file. However, a law enforcement agency may deny access to a copy of such a record in an investigative file if the record or a true and complete copy thereof is available for public inspection and copying at another public body.

§24A.21. Increment district reports —Exemption from copying fees
The fees that may be charged by a public body pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 3 of Section 24A.5 of Title 51 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall not be charged when a state agency or taxing entity located within the boundaries of any district created pursuant to the provisions of the Local Development Act [Section 850 et seq. of Title 62] request a copy of the reports required by subsections A and B of Section 18 of this act [Section 867 of Title 62].

§24A.22. Public Utilities
— Confidential books, records and trade secrets
A. The Corporation Commission shall keep con­fidential those records of a public utility, its affili­ates, suppliers and customers which the Commission determines are confidential books, records, or trade secrets.
B. As used in this section, “public utility” means any entity regulated by the Corporation Commission, owning or operating for compensation in this state equipment or facilities for:
1. Producing, generating, transmitting, dis­tributing, selling or furnishing electricity;
2. The conveyance, transmission, or recep­tion of communication over a telephone system; or
3. Transmitting directly or indirectly or dis­tributing combustible hydrocarbon natural or synthetic natural gas for sale to the public.

§24A.23. Department of Wildlife
A. The Department of Wildlife Conservation shall keep confidential the information provided by persons, including the name and address of the per­son applying for or holding any permit or license issued by the Department, to the extent the informa­tion individually identifies the person. The Department may use the information for Department purposes or allow the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to use the information for survey purposes only. The Department shall allow any pub­lic body to have access to the information for pur­poses specifically related to the public bodies func­tion.
B. The provisions of subsection A of this section shall not apply to information provided by persons applying for or holding a commercial hunting or fishing license.

§24A.24. Office of Juvenile System Oversight
Unless otherwise provided by law, the Office of Juvenile System Oversight may keep its investigatory record and notes confidential, unless ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction to disclose the information.

§24A.25. Removal of Materials from Public Record
Any order of the court for removal of materials from the public record shall require compliance with the provisions of paragraphs 2 through 7 of subsection C of Section 3226 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

§24A.26. Intergovernmental Self-Insurance Pools
An intergovernmental self-insurance pool may be kept confidential proprietary information, such as actuarial reports, underwriting calculations, rating information and records that are created based on conclusions of such infor­mation that are developed through the operation of the intergovernmental self-insurance pool.