Public records
North Dakota open records requests for surveillance oversight
Request North Dakota surveillance governance records with a template. Check reasonable-time responses, qualified fees, the thirty-day opinion route and separate civil-action deadlines.
Sources checked .
Identify existing records held by the public entity
The Attorney General says anyone can request records regardless of residence, through any available medium or in person. A request need not be written, but must reasonably identify specific records. Requesting information or explanations is different: the entity need not answer questions, create/compile records or convert formats. Courts are outside this open-records law, and some legislative records are excluded. North Dakota Attorney General: making a records request
The 08-2021 guide explains that an entity generally cannot demand a motive or identity for an ordinary records request, but can require written clarification. Keep a written copy and a workable response arrangement to document what was requested. North Dakota Attorney General: costs and qualified access
Reasonable time depends on the request
The current request guidance requires a response within a reasonable time, either providing records or citing denial authority. Amount and type of records matter. A denial must be written if requested. This is not a universal seven-day delivery rule. Ask for clarification of a delay and keep dates and responses. North Dakota Attorney General: making a records request
Costs are qualified and separately calculated
The guide describes up to 25 cents per standard paper impression, actual copying costs for other formats, and separate locating and redaction charges capped at $25/hour after each initial hour. Electronic copies can still involve authorized locating/redaction costs and actual extensive-technology costs; prepayment may be required. It does not promise every electronic request is free. North Dakota Attorney General: costs and qualified access
Current section 44-04-18 permits aggregating five or more requests from one requester within seven days for locating/redaction time. Other statutory fees and prior unpaid balances can matter. North Dakota: current records and review statutes
Protected portions do not automatically close the entire record
Section 44-04-18.10 requires access to information that is not closed/confidential after protected portions are removed, subject to its electronic-record qualification. North Dakota: current records and review statutes
The guide distinguishes discretionary exempt records from confidential material that cannot be released without lawful handling. An oversight label does not establish that an entire policy, agreement or report is open. North Dakota Attorney General: costs and qualified access
Copy and adapt the request
Replace brackets and narrow the categories and date range. Preserve the original request and the entity's response. North Dakota Attorney General: opinion request procedure
Download request template (.txt)
To: [Public entity holding the records]
Date: [MM-DD-YYYY]
Subject: North Dakota open records request: plate-reader governance
Under North Dakota Century Code 44-04-18, I request copies of these existing records held by [entity] for [start date] through [end date]:
1. Written plate-reader operating policies, authorized-use rules, retention schedules and audit procedures effective during the period.
2. Executed equipment and data-service contracts, amendments, purchase orders and invoices during the period.
3. Existing executed data-sharing agreements and existing lists of sharing partners effective during the period.
4. Existing aggregate compliance or audit reports for [narrow date range], subject to lawful withholding or redaction.
These categories do not assert that this entity uses the technology or holds every record. I seek existing governance and spending records, not new research, answers to questions, individual detections, movement histories or sensitive security details.
I prefer an available electronic copy delivered to [email or chosen arrangement]. Please identify any format limitation or the specific website location where accessible responsive records are available.
Please respond within a reasonable time, identify any written clarification needed, and provide a practical estimate if access is delayed. I request any denial in writing, with the legal authority or a statement that a record does not exist, as applicable. Please provide releasable information after lawful deletions.
Before charges exceed [$ amount], please provide an estimate identifying copying, locating, redaction, technology, postage and any other applicable charges or prepayment. This request does not authorize charges above that amount.
Chosen response method: [Email, mailing address or other arrangement]
Optional name: [Name]
Optional telephone: [Number]
Request an Attorney General opinion promptly
The official opinion page says an open-records opinion request must be received within thirty days of the alleged violation. Its ninety-day exception concerns a meeting held without notice, not ordinary records disputes. Do not assume learning about a denial later restarts the records clock. North Dakota Attorney General: opinion request procedure
The opinion request must identify the requester and contact information, entity, violation date and facts. Include any response and a written original request if one exists. The complaint is sent to the entity, and the opinion rests on facts the entity provides. A finding of violation gives the entity seven days for corrective action; that is not the initial records-response deadline. North Dakota Attorney General: opinion request procedure
Section 44-04-21.1 excludes legislative-assembly/committee review, accounts for a related civil action, and permits declining opinions after specified repeated-opinion thresholds. Check those qualifications before choosing a route. North Dakota: current records and review statutes
Civil enforcement has a different clock
Section 44-04-21.2 sets sixty days from actual/constructive knowledge or thirty days after an opinion, whichever is later. A records complaint requires a dated written records request. Venue generally follows the entity's principal office, with Burleigh County fallback. For fees/damages, generally give the chief administrative officer notice at least three working days before filing; a prior Attorney General violation finding creates an exception. Correction before suit without prejudice/harm can foreclose these remedies. Disclosure and awards are not automatic. Check the exact procedure promptly. North Dakota: current records and review statutes
A retention question is separate from access
The Attorney General explains that entity schedules govern retention and that retention itself is not reviewed under the open-records law. Request an existing schedule for oversight without assuming a specific record was retained or that this opinion route decides a destruction dispute. North Dakota Attorney General: making a records request
Questions and answers
Must a request come from a North Dakota resident?
The Attorney General says access is available regardless of residence. North Dakota Attorney General: making a records request
Is seven days the normal production deadline?
It is the corrective-action period after an opinion finding described here. North Dakota Attorney General: opinion request procedure
Does the guide file an opinion request for me?
No. An opinion request is a separate communication with its own required facts and deadline. North Dakota Attorney General: opinion request procedure
Sources and scope
Four primary sources checked 10-24-2026. Selected current chapter 44-04 sections were read with current Attorney General request/opinion pages and the displayed 08-2021 guide. Fee and review qualifications were checked against the current chapter rather than assuming the older guide is a complete current law inventory. This focused guide is not an exhaustive exemption, indirect-amendment or case-law audit.
- Current Century Code chapter 44-04, selected sections 18, 18.10, 21.1 and 21.2. Checked 10-24-2026.
- Open Records Guide, displayed edition 08-2021, selected page-one guidance checked against current statute. Checked 10-24-2026.
- Requesting an Opinion, records deadline, documentation and process. Checked 10-24-2026.
- Requesting Public Records, current public request/timing/retention guidance. Checked 10-24-2026.