Kansas Statutes Annotated

K.S.A. § 45-220 (2026)

Procedures for obtaining access to or copies of records; request for records; establishing office hours for inspection; custodian of records, duties; provision of information on procedures

✓ current as of May 2026

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45-220. Procedures for obtaining access to or copies of records; request for records; establishing office hours for inspection; custodian of records, duties; provision of information on procedures. (a) Each public agency shall adopt procedures to be followed in requesting access to and obtaining copies of public records, which procedures shall provide full access to public records, protect public records from damage and disorganization, prevent excessive disruption of the agency's essential functions, provide assistance and information upon request and ensure efficient and timely action in response to applications for inspection of public records.

(b) A public agency may require a written request for inspection of public records but shall not otherwise require a request to be made in any particular form. Except as otherwise provided by subsection (c), a public agency shall not require that a request contain more information than the requester's name and address and the information necessary to ascertain the records to which the requester desires access and the requester's right of access to the records. A public agency may require proof of identity of any person requesting access to a public record. No request shall be returned, delayed or denied because of any technicality unless it is impossible to determine the records to which the requester desires access.

(c) If access to public records of an agency or the purpose for which the records may be used is limited pursuant to K.S.A. 45-221 or 45-230, and amendments thereto, the agency may require a person requesting the records or information therein to provide written certification that:

(1) The requester has a right of access to the records and the basis of that right; or

(2) the requester does not intend to, and will not:

(A) Use any list of names or addresses contained in or derived from the records or information for the purpose of selling or offering for sale any property or service to any person listed or to any person who resides at any address listed; or

(B) sell, give or otherwise make available to any person any list of names or addresses contained in or derived from the records or information for the purpose of allowing that person to sell or offer for sale any property or service to any person listed or to any person who resides at any address listed.

(d) A public agency shall establish, for business days when it does not maintain regular office hours, reasonable hours when persons may inspect and obtain copies of the agency's records. The public agency may require that any person desiring to inspect or obtain copies of the agency's records during such hours so notify the agency, but such notice shall not be required to be in writing and shall not be required to be given more than 24 hours prior to the hours established for inspection and obtaining copies.

(e) Each official custodian of public records shall designate such persons as necessary to carry out the duties of custodian under this act and shall ensure that a custodian is available during regular business hours of the public agency to carry out such duties.

(f) Each public agency shall provide, upon request of any person, the following information:

(1) The principal office of the agency, its regular office hours and any additional hours established by the agency pursuant to subsection (c).

(2) The title and address of the official custodian of the agency's records and of any other custodian who is ordinarily available to act on requests made at the location where the information is displayed.

(3) The fees, if any, charged for access to or copies of the agency's records.

(4) The procedures to be followed in requesting access to and obtaining copies of the agency's records, including procedures for giving notice of a desire to inspect or obtain copies of records during hours established by the agency pursuant to subsection (c).

(g) (1) Except for requests of summary data compiled from information submitted by multiple criminal justice agencies or as otherwise provided by law, requests for records submitted to the central repository or any other repositories supporting the criminal justice information system that are maintained by the Kansas bureau of investigation pursuant to K.S.A. 22-4704 and 22-4705, and amendments thereto, shall be directed to the criminal justice agency from which the records originated.

(2) As used in this subsection, the terms "central repository," "criminal justice agency" and "criminal justice information system" have the same meanings as defined in K.S.A. 22-4701, and amendments thereto.

(h) Except for requests of summary data compiled from information submitted by multiple law enforcement agencies or as otherwise provided by law, requests for records submitted to the Kansas asset seizure and forfeiture repository that are maintained by the Kansas bureau of investigation pursuant to K.S.A. 60-4127, and amendments thereto, shall be directed to the law enforcement agency from which the records originated.

(i) Requests for records defined as "files" pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4379, and amendments thereto, submitted to a state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency shall be directed to the state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency that made, maintained or kept such files, as required by K.S.A. 75-4379, and amendments thereto.

(j) Requests for records that contain captured license plate data or that pertain to the location of an automated license plate recognition system submitted to a state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency shall be directed to the state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency that owns, leases or contracts for the automated license plate recognition system.

History: L. 1984, ch. 187, § 6; L. 1984, ch. 282, § 3; L. 2003, ch. 126, § 2; L. 2013, ch. 72, § 1; L. 2018, ch. 26, § 2; L. 2018, ch. 93, § 2; L. 2022, ch. 48, § 2; July 1.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 10 cases, 1985–2018 · leading case: State, Dep't of Soc. & Rehab. Servs. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd. of the Kansas Dep't of Human Resources, 815 P.2d 66 (Kan. 1991).

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State, Dep't of Soc. & Rehab. Servs. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd. of the Kansas Dep't of Human Resources, 815 P.2d 66 (Kan. 1991). · cites it 2× “In accordance with K.S.A. 45-220(c), PERB’s order conditioned release of home addresses on the Union’s certification that the Union would not use the list or make the list available to another who might use the information to sell property or services for commercial gain.”

City of Shawnee, Kan. v. Argonaut Ins. Co., 546 F. Supp. 2d 1163 (D. Kan. 2008). · cites it 2× “, the Prime Contractor on the above-referenced project pursuant to K.S.A. 45-220 et seq. This letter serves as our formal request to the City for all e-mails, letters, and correspondence of any nature between the City of Shawnee and any of the following [utility companies]: * *…”

State v. Stevens, 992 P.2d 1244 (Kan. Ct. App. 1999). · cites it 4× “45-219; and establish procedures for making the information available to the public, K.S.A. 45-220. The Open Records Act also establishes a list of *609 public records that are not subject to mandatory disclosure.”

Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publ'g Co. v. Simmons, 50 P.3d 66 (Kan. 2002). “” K.S.A. 45-220. Again, no such claim has been made by the Secretaiy of Corrections.”

Telegram Publ'g Co. v. Kansas Dep't of Transp., 69 P.3d 578 (Kan. 2003). “*791 The Court of Appeals wrote: “K.S.A. 45-220 sets forth the procedures for requesting a public document.”

State v. Great Plains of Kiowa Cnty., Inc., 425 P.3d 290 (Kan. 2018). “" K.S.A. 2016 Supp. 45-220(b). Not all records must be disclosed under KORA; the legislature provided a narrow list of exceptions to records that are of a "sensitive or personal nature concerning individuals," records that must necessarily be kept private for the "effective and…”

Tew v. City of Topeka Police & Fire Civil Serv. Comm'n, 697 P.2d 1279 (Kan. 1985). “K.S.A. 1984 Supp. 45-220 sets out the procedures for obtaining access to or copies of records.”

Hunter Health Clinic v. Wichita State Univ., 362 P.3d 10 (Kan. Ct. App. 2015). “For example, “[a] ll public records shall be open for inspection by any person, except as otherwise provided by this act, and suitable facilities shall be made available by each public agency for this purpose.”

Clark v. Unified Sch. Dist. No. 287, 416 P.3d 1032 (Kan. Ct. App. 2018). “45-219 ; K.S.A. 2017 Supp. 45-220. Once requested, the entity receiving the request has three business days to respond.”

Telegram Publ'g Co. v. Kansas Dep't of Transp., 49 P.3d 554 (Kan. Ct. App. 2002). “) K.S.A. 45-220 sets forth the procedures for requesting a public document.”

— K.S.A. § 45-220(a) — 1 case

State v. Stevens, 992 P.2d 1244 (Kan. Ct. App. 1999). “45-219; and establish procedures for making the information available to the public, K.S.A. 45-220. The Open Records Act also establishes a list of *609 public records that are not subject to mandatory disclosure.”

— K.S.A. § 45-220(b) — 1 case

— K.S.A. § 45-220(c) — 1 case

State, Dep't of Soc. & Rehab. Servs. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd. of the Kansas Dep't of Human Resources, 815 P.2d 66 (Kan. 1991). “In accordance with K.S.A. 45-220(c), PERB’s order conditioned release of home addresses on the Union’s certification that the Union would not use the list or make the list available to another who might use the information to sell property or services for commercial gain.”

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