Official State of Iowa Website Here is how you know
Iowa Department of Management
Home » Public Records Policy

Public Records Policy

Updated March 8, 2023

General Information

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) is committed to providing full assistance to those seeking access to OCIO agency records.

Any person may submit their request to inspect public records to the Office of the Chief Information Officer by submitting their request through our Iowa Information and Public Records Request Portal, in person at the Office of the Chief Information Officer, e-mail, or by mail.

Before submitting your record request we invite you to review the documents released in previous record or information requests.    

 

                 Search or Submit a Record Request                 

Many OCIO records are public

The Office maintains vast amounts of records, reports, and other information. Most of it is available to the public. 

Some records are confidential 

Certain records are confidential under Iowa Code Chapter 22.7.

Public OCIO records are almost always provided free of charge

This includes:

  • Public records on the department’s web site, ocio.iowa.gov.
  • Public records already compiled in the way requested.

The OCIO response to requests for public records is consistent regardless of

  • Who is asking.
  • How the public information will be used.
  • Whether the requestor cites state or federal open records laws.

The OCIO response to requests for public records is speedy.

The agency will attempt to fill requests within 30 days, unless otherwise notified.

OCIO will charge a fee to produce public documents when the actual cost of doing so is not incidental.

  • The fee will never exceed actual cost.
  • The actual cost of copies produced by printer or copier, with the first 30 pages provided for free. Actual cost of printed copies is 10 cents/page.
  • OCIO will assess an estimated administrative fee according to the hourly rate of employee(s) fulfilling the records request excluding the first three hours. The estimate will include the time to locate records, screen records, and to delete information that is not public, as well as personnel time to make copies and PDFs as needed. OCIO estimates that large groups of emails, including attachments and chains, can be screened and redacted at a rate of two minutes each.
  • OCIO will charge the hourly rate of the individual(s) performing the work for electronic data or records that require special processing to format, edit, or compile. If the data requiring special processing is maintained or administered by a third party, the requestor will pay the normal hourly rate charged by the third party to the department.
  • The OCIO will estimate the total fee and will notify the requestor.
  • If the fee is significant, the requestor is expected to pay in advance.
  • Once payment based on the estimated fee is received, OCIO will track the actual salary of personnel compiling the records.
  • If the actual cost is less than estimated, the balance will be refunded.
  • If the actual cost is greater than estimated, the requestor will receive the records gathered to date and will be informed of an estimate to complete the work.

The rules for record requests submitted to the Office of the Chief Information Officer

OCIO Administrative Rules describe the rules for public records and fair information practices.

Contacting the Public Information Officer

Contact the PIO at (515) 782-3661 or gloria.vanrees@iowa.gov

 

 

Printed from the website on March 19, 2024 at 4:45am.