How to request a record
Most requests that go wrong go wrong in the first sentence. This is the fix.
Four steps
1. Find the right office
Municipal records go to the municipal clerk. Court files go to the court. Property deeds go to the county recorder. Sending a request to the wrong office does not start any clock.
2. Describe the record, not the topic
“Everything about the Weir Street project” is a topic and will come back as a fee estimate for forty hours. “The contract awarded for Weir Street resurfacing and any change orders, 2025 to date” is a record, and it can be pulled in twenty minutes.
3. Put it in writing and keep a copy
Email is fine. You do not need a form, and no municipality may require one. Note the date you sent it — that is when the five days start.
4. Expect a response, not silence
Within five business days you should receive the record, a fee estimate, a redacted release, a written extension, or a denial citing an exemption. Silence is not one of the options.
A sentence you can copy
Under the Clearwater Public Records Act, Chapter 42, I request a copy of [describe the record and the date range]. I would prefer electronic copies if available. Please contact me with an estimate before incurring costs above $25.
That last clause is the one people leave out, and it is the one that prevents an unwelcome invoice.
If it goes wrong
Follow up in writing and ask for the status and the reason for the delay. Most missed deadlines in small municipalities are a clerk on leave with no backup, not a refusal.
The denial must name the exemption. Ask for it in writing if it did not. You may ask for the non-exempt parts with the rest redacted — Chapter 42 requires severance where it is practicable.
Ask for the estimate broken down into staff time and per-page copying. Inspection in the office is free, which is often the cheaper route for a large file.
CAMRO cannot compel a municipality and does not act for requesters — we are the clerks' association. But if you believe a records officer has misunderstood the Act, tell us and we will make sure the training covers it.
Clerks — the response letters are in the library.
Acknowledgement, extension, fee estimate, partial release and denial, all cross-referenced to the chapter.