Source: http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/georgia/access-public-records-georgia
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 08:15:47+00:00

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Note: This page covers information specific to Georgia. For general information concerning access to government records see the Access to Government Records section of this guide.
If you are a resident of Georgia, you have a statutory right to inspect a vast number of Georgia's public records using the state's Open Records Act (OPA). See Title 50, Chapter 18, Article 4, section 70(b) of the Georgia Annotated Code (Ga. Code Ann.). The Georgia Attorney General has issued an opinion that non-residents should also be given access, so it is worth making a request even if you are a not a citizen. See 1993 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 93-27.
You can inspect the public records of all state departments, agencies, boards, bureaus, commissions and authorities, as well as county and municipal government entities and regional authorities. The OPA also covers private entities performing a service for a public agency, as well as nonprofit organizations that receive more than one-third of their funding from tax funds. Ga. Code Ann. § 50-18-70, Ga. Code Ann. § 50-14-1. See Access to Government Meetings in Georgia and Georgia State Court Records for more information on how to access records from those entities.
You have the right to inspect all public records of the government bodies subject to the OPA. The term "public records" is broadly defined to include all all written documents, maps, books, tapes, photographs, and electronic information, prepared and maintained or received in the course of the operation of a government body. Ga. Code Ann. § 50-18-70(a).
Personal details of government employees--This exemption applies to records that would reveal the home address or telephone number, social security number, or insurance or medical information of law enforcement officers, judges, scientists employed by the Division of Forensic Sciences of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, correctional employees, and prosecutors, or their familes.
Trade secrets, certain research projects, some testing materials, firearms licensing information, or information covered under the attorney-client privilege or material that is attorney work product are also exempt. See Ga. Code Ann. § 50-18-72.
Consult the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press's Open Government Guide: Georgia for more information on these exemptions.
If your request is straightforward, you may find it quickest and easiest to make an informal request over the telephone. If the public records officer is unable to fulfill your request over your phone, or if your request is complicated or potentially controversial, you should put your request in a letter.
Alternatively, use Student Press Law Center's State Open Records Law Request Letter Generator to produce a request letter that complies with Georgia law. Additionally, the Georgia Press Association's Abbreviated Guide to Georgia's Open Meetings and Open Records Laws provides commentary on how to request records and also sets out a sample letter to use as a guide.
An agency must grant or deny your request within three working days. If the agency requires time to arrange the records for inspection, they must respond within that period with a description of the documents and a timetable for inspection and copying. Ga. Code Ann. § 50-18-70(f).
If your request is routine, like requesting to view a zoning map, you should not be charged a search. However, if your request involves unusual cost or burden to the agency, it is entitled to charge a reasonable fee for the search, retrieval and other direct administrative costs incurred complying with your request. Agencies can charge up to 25 cents per page for duplication (unless a higher charge is specifically authorized by other legislation), or the cost of any disks or other electronic media used to transfer the information to you. Ga. Code Ann. § 50-18-71.
file a lawsuit in a local superior court to enforce compliance.
If you wish to file a lawsuit to enforce compliance with your request, refer to our section on Finding Legal Help for more information on how to get legal assistance to help you assess the merits of a potential lawsuit against the agency.

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