What is a public record?
Public record is defined in Oregon law as any writing that contains information relating to the conduct of the public’s business, ...prepared, owned, used or retained by a public body regardless of physical form or characteristics. ORS 192.410(4)(a)
“Writing” means handwriting, typewriting, printing, photographing and every means of recording, including letters, words, pictures, sounds, or symbols, or combination thereof, and all papers, maps, files, facsimiles or electronic recordings. ORS 192.410(6)
How long does it take to receive records?
The Oregon Department of Transportation's standard is 10 business days to communicate with you and either supply the requested records, give you an estimate of the time and cost to produce the records, or let you know ODOT cannot fill the request and the reason. The time required to produce all responsive records may be longer than 10 days.
What if ODOT doesn't have records in the form or format I request?
Public records law pertains to existing records and does not require the agency to generate a record to respond to a request. Depending on what you're asking for, if the agency can't convert the records to your preferred format, you will receive them in the form in which the agency stores them.
What is FOIA and how does it relate to my records request?
FOIA is the Freedom of Information Act, which is federal law. Although requesters frequently mention FOIA in their requests, that law only applies to federal agencies, not state agencies.
Oregon state agencies release records under Oregon law found in ORS 192.410 through 192.505.