Ohio public records law: how to make a request
Public Records Act, Ohio Revised Code § 149.43. Rules below are quoted or closely paraphrased from the linked official pages, and each shows the date it was last checked (2026-10-17). Jurisdiction code: OH.
Build a request letter Official source
Statute and who may ask
Ohio's Public Records Act (R.C. 149.43) gives "any person" access to records kept by a public office, which includes state, county, city, village, township and school district units and other bodies established by Ohio law for the exercise of a function of government. A requester does not need to live in Ohio, can be anonymous, and cannot be required to identify themselves; motive and intended use are irrelevant, with very limited exceptions (for example, expanded access for journalists and limited access for prison inmates). (Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Attorney General: The Ohio Public Records Act (Sunshine Laws pages) · last verified 2026-10-17Upon request by any person, all public records responsive to the request shall be promptly prepared and made available for inspection at all reasonable times during regular business hours, and a public office shall make copies available at cost and within a reasonable period of time. If a record has exempt information, the office must make available all of the information that is not exempt and notify the requester of any redaction or make the redaction plainly visible. (R.C. 149.43(B)(1))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17A public office may not limit or condition access by requiring disclosure of the requester's identity or intended use, unless state or federal law authorizes it. It may ask for a written request, the requester's identity, or the intended use only after telling the requester that a written request is not mandatory, that the requester may decline to give identity or intended use, and when giving them would help the office identify, locate or deliver the records. (R.C. 149.43(B)(4)-(5))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17A request has to be clear and specific enough for the office to reasonably identify the records. If a request is ambiguous or overly broad, the office may deny it but must give the requester an opportunity to revise it by explaining how its records are maintained and accessed in the ordinary course of its duties. An office can also deny a request for records it does not keep (for example, records not yet created or destroyed under a retention schedule). (R.C. 149.43(B)(2); Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17The Public Records Act exempts many categories of records (the statute lists them in division (A)(1), including records whose release is prohibited by state or federal law). Exemptions come from the Act, other Ohio statutes, federal statutes and case law. The Attorney General's Office publishes a list of exemptions in Ohio statutes outside the Act.
Source: Ohio Attorney General: The Ohio Public Records Act (Sunshine Laws pages) · last verified 2026-10-17
Response deadline
There is no set period for a public office to respond. The Act says an office must respond to a request to inspect records "promptly" and to a request for copies "within a reasonable period of time." What counts depends on the facts, such as the type of record, whether redaction is needed, and whether legal advice is needed; a court will not consider the overall burden on the office. (Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Attorney General: The Ohio Public Records Act (Sunshine Laws pages) · last verified 2026-10-17For video records held by a state or local law enforcement agency or prosecuting attorney, a court considering promptness must also consider the time needed to retrieve, download, review, redact, seek legal advice on and produce the video. The agency must give an estimate of actual cost within five business days if it requires prepayment of video costs. (R.C. 149.43(B)(1))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17A public office's public records policy may not establish a fixed period of time before it will respond to a request for inspection or copying, unless that period is less than eight hours. (R.C. 149.43(E)(2))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17If a request is ultimately denied in whole or part, the office must give an explanation, including legal authority, of why; if the request was in writing, the explanation must also be in writing. (R.C. 149.43(B)(3))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17
Fee rules
If a requester asks to inspect records, the office cannot charge. For copies, it may charge the "actual cost" incurred, which may include discs, thumb drives, ink, toner, paper, packing, delivery and sending. An office generally does not incur costs when records are sent electronically, and, except for law enforcement video, actual cost does not include employee time or office overhead. (Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Attorney General: The Ohio Public Records Act (Sunshine Laws pages) · last verified 2026-10-17The office may require the requester to pay in advance the cost of the copy, and the requester may choose to have copies made on paper, on the same medium on which the office keeps the record, or on another medium the office reasonably can use in the normal course of operations. The office may require advance payment of postage or delivery cost and of other supplies used for mailing or transmission. (R.C. 149.43(B)(6)-(7))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17A public office may adopt a policy limiting physical delivery by mail or other delivery service to ten records per month, and, where it offers its records free on a fully searchable website, may limit digital delivery of records it provides there to ten per month, unless the requester certifies in writing that the records will not be used or forwarded for commercial purposes. "Commercial" is narrowly construed and does not include news reporting, gathering information to assist citizen oversight of government, or nonprofit educational research. (R.C. 149.43(B)(7)(c))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17Some offices may charge more than actual cost: for example, the Attorney General's page says the Bureau of Motor Vehicles can charge $4 for accident reports and coroners can charge 25 cents per page. For law enforcement video, an agency may charge actual cost up to $75 per hour of video and $750 total, but may not charge a victim, victim's legal counsel or insurer who meets the statute's conditions. (Ohio Attorney General; R.C. 149.43(B)(1), (B)(11))
Source: Ohio Attorney General: The Ohio Public Records Act (Sunshine Laws pages) · last verified 2026-10-17
Appeal path and remedies
Ohio has no administrative appeal to an agency or the Attorney General. The Act is a "self-help" statute: the Attorney General's Office says no public entity, including its own office, has authority to enforce the Act, investigate or take legal action against a public office. A person aggrieved may sue, alone or with a private attorney. (Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Attorney General: The Ohio Public Records Act (Sunshine Laws pages) · last verified 2026-10-17Before suing, the requester must serve a complaint (on the Court of Claims' standard form, under Civil Rule 4) on the public office. The office then has three business days to "cure or otherwise address" the alleged failure. After that, the requester may do only one of two things: file a complaint in the Court of Claims (or with the clerk of the court of common pleas) under R.C. 2743.75, or commence a mandamus action. The filing must include a written affirmation that the pre-filing complaint was served at least three business days earlier, or the suit is dismissed. (R.C. 149.43(C)(1)-(2))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17Court of Claims route: file the court's complaint form and a $25 filing fee, attach the original request and any written responses, then mediation, and if that fails a fast-track process overseen by a special master. If the requester wins, the office may be ordered to pay the $25 fee and other costs, but not attorney fees. Appeals go to the court of appeals. (R.C. 2743.75; Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 2743.75, Court of Claims jurisdiction over claims alleging denial of access to public records (codes.ohio.gov; effective April 9, 2025) · last verified 2026-10-17Mandamus route: an action in a court of common pleas, a court of appeals or the Supreme Court of Ohio can seek an order to comply, court costs, attorney fees and, if applicable, statutory damages. Statutory damages are $100 per business day starting when the mandamus action is filed, up to $1,000, and are available only if the request was written and delivered by hand, by electronic submission or by certified mail (not available to certain inmates and committed juveniles). (R.C. 149.43(C)(1)-(5); Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17
Request-letter wording notes
Put the request in writing and send it by a method you can prove (electronic submission, hand delivery or certified mail), because statutory damages are available only for requests delivered those ways. A written request is not required by the Act, but it helps later. (R.C. 149.43(B)(5), (C)(3))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17Describe the records clearly enough that the office can identify them (type, date range, subject, office). You do not need to give your name or purpose, and the office should not require them. (R.C. 149.43(B)(2), (B)(4))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17Say which medium you prefer for copies (paper, the medium the office keeps them in, or another reasonable medium) and how you want them delivered; the office may charge only cost, and generally has no cost for electronic delivery. (R.C. 149.43(B)(6)-(7); Ohio Attorney General)
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17If any part is denied, the office must give an explanation including legal authority, in writing if the request was written, and must notify you of any redactions. A letter can ask for these items. (R.C. 149.43(B)(1), (B)(3))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17Because there is no fixed deadline, a follow-up letter should state the date of your request and ask for a prompt response. Before any lawsuit, the pre-filing complaint and three-business-day cure period are mandatory. (R.C. 149.43(C)(1))
Source: Ohio Revised Code § 149.43, Availability of public records (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, codes.ohio.gov; page showed effective September 7, 2026) · last verified 2026-10-17
Not yet researched or not verified
- Any numeric response deadline (the Act has none; individual public offices' own policies and other statutes may set targets, which were not surveyed)
- Individual exemptions in R.C. 149.43(A)(1) and in other Ohio statutes (the statute is long; only the general rules are summarized)
- The Attorney General's Sunshine Laws Manual ("Yellow Book") itself was not read; only the Attorney General's Sunshine Laws and Public Records Act web pages were
- Court of Claims forms, fee waiver rules for the $25 fee, and filing time limits (not read from the Court of Claims site)
- Special rules for journalists, inmates, victims and law enforcement video beyond the points above
This is legal information from public sources, not legal advice. Laws and agency practices change; read the linked official source and consult a lawyer about your situation. Local agencies may have their own forms and contacts.