This policy covers all employees of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and will provide direction on responding to a request for examination of public records under Chapter 22, Code of Iowa.
Goal
The goal or purpose of this policy is to assure that DAS responds to open records requests in a timely and appropriate manner.
Policy Terms and Conditions
DAS takes seriously its commitment to follow the requirements of the open records law under Chapter 22. Every person has the right to examine and copy a public record or the information contained in a public record. Records that have been deemed confidential pursuant to Chapter 22 shall not be released in response to a request. Consult DAS legal counsel if you have questions/concerns about whether or not a record is confidential.
Process to Respond to an Inquiry from the Media
All requests for information from the media shall be directed to the communications director of DAS.
Process to Respond to an Inquiry from Citizens, Including Businesses
Requests for access to a public record may be made in person, in writing or by telephone. The request shall be forwarded to the appropriate supervisor, the communications director and legal counsel if the request is not made directly to one of those persons. The department may seek clarification regarding the information requested.
Upon receipt of a request for access to a public record, all reasonable steps will be taken to preserve a public record while the request is pending. Responses to the request should be made within ten (10) business days. The Code allows for a twenty (20) calendar days to determine whether a confidential record should be made available to the requestor.
Availability of a Public Record
Open records will be available to the public during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding state designated holidays. Access to records may be affected by a good faith effort to identify the correct records to respond to the request, locating the specific records requested, determining whether the request involves confidential records, an inability to quickly process the request due to the size of the request or absence of staff knowledgeable regarding the requested documents.
Fees
DAS will provide 10 copied pages of public records free of charge. Any additional copied pages will cost $0.04 per copied page. DAS will provide 3 hours of staff time to assemble and review documents. Any additional staff time will be charged at the rate of $45 per hour. DAS may also generate an estimate of any cost prior to fulfillment of the request. DAS may request payment prior to retrieval and duplication of such records.
Updated May 2017