Texas Government Code, Chapter 552, gives you the right to access government records; and an officer for public information and the officer's agent may not ask why you want them. All government information is presumed to be available to the public. Certain exceptions may apply to the disclosure of the information. Governmental bodies shall promptly release requested information that is not confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision, or information for which an exception to disclosure has not been sought.
You have the right to:
All governmental bodies responding to information requests have the responsibility to:
By the 10th business day after a governmental body receives your written request, a governmental body must:
Failure to request an Attorney General opinion and notify the requestor within 10 business days will result in a presumption that the information is open unless there is a compelling reason to withhold it.
Requestors may send a letter to the Attorney General arguing for release, and may review arguments made by the governmental body. If the arguments disclose the requested information, the requestor may obtain a redacted copy.
The Attorney General must issue a decision no later than the 45th working day from the day after the attorney general received the request for a decision. The attorney general may request an additional 10 working day extension.
Governmental bodies may not ask the Attorney General to "reconsider" an opinion.
To obtain information from this governmental body, please submit a request:
By mail at P.O. Box 12070, Austin, Texas 78711-2070
In person at — 201 E. 14th St., Sam Houston Bldg., 10th Floor, Austin, Texas
For complaints regarding failure to release public information, please contact your local County or District Attorney at: Travis County District Attorney, (512) 473-9400.
You may also contact the Office of the Attorney General, Open Records Hotline, at 512-478-6736 or toll-free at 1-877-673-6839.
For complaints regarding overcharges, please contact the Office of the Attorney General, Cost Hotline, at 512-475-2497 or toll-free at 1-888-672-6787.
If you need special accommodation pursuant to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact our ADA coordinator, Margie Castellanos at (512) 463-5800, or RELAY TEXAS (800) 735-2989.