FAQs

What is a Public Record?

Arizona law does not provide a statutory definition for "Public Records." However, the University interprets this term to include all materials that a public body or public officer creates or receives while conducting public business or that relate to public business.

Is the Office of Public Records the point of contact for ANY request for records at the university?

No. While many requests for records are fulfilled by the Office of Public Records, there are some exceptions. Please see below:

If you are seeking records relating to the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD), please know that they have a separate records process. More information on how to file a public records request with UAPD can be found here.
If you are seeking employment verification records, or if you are a university employee seeking personnel records, please visit the Human Resources Employee Records website found here.
If you are seeking transcripts or the directory information for a single student, please visit the Office of the Registrar website found here.
If you are a student seeking your own disciplinary records, please visit the Dean of Students website found here.
Please also note that the University Analytics & Institutional Research department publishes data on the university's core reporting areas. The publicly available data can be found via the following hyperlinks: Student, Employee, Finance, and Research.

If your request does not fall under the categories above, then the Office of Public Records is likely the correct point of contact for your request.

What details should I include in my public records request?

While the level of detail needed for each request may vary, the Office of Public records recommends providing as much information as possible. Helpful details can include but are not limited to the following:

Time Period/Date Range
Matter of interest
Search terms
Names/emails of the university employees who may be in possession of the record(s)
Names/emails/email domains of the non-university employees who may have interacted with university employees in relation to the requested records

Having narrowed and clear parameters will allow for the Office of Public Records to locate the responsive records in a more efficient manner. If the Office of Public Records is in need of additional details, they will be contacting you with any follow-up questions.

Is there a fee for requesting copies of records?

The University of Arizona only has fees in place for commercial requests. At the time of request submission, the requestor will be prompted to confirm if their request is for a commercial purpose. Additional information on how the State of Arizona defines commercial purpose can be found via the "What is a Commercial Purpose request?" section of the FAQ page.

Below you will find a breakdown of the associated fees:

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Commercial Requests

Contract/Document Value Base Charge*

Up to $1 million - $2500

Between $1 million and $5 million - $3500

Between $5 million and $10 million - $4500

$10 million and above - $5000

*Plus $0.25 per page (electronic or otherwise)

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After receiving a request, if the Office of Public Records has enough information to move forward with processing, a preliminary estimate will be assessed utilizing the corresponding fee schedule above. Once the estimate is crafted, the Office of Public Records will provide the requestor with the tentative estimate, as well as the deposit amount due. The requestor will then have the opportunity to indicate if they would like to move forward given the associated fees (response due within 1 week of receipt). Should the requestor opt to accept the estimate and proceed, the Office of Public Records will provide an invoice for the deposit due, and once payment is received, the processing of the request will continue. Once the records have been reviewed and finalized, a final invoice inclusive of the total costs (minus deposit payment) will be provided to the requestor for payment prior to disclosure.

What is a Commercial Purpose request?

Pursuant to A.R.S. §39-121.03(D), “commercial purpose” means the use of a public record for the purpose of:

sale or resale; producing a document containing all or part of the copy, printout or photograph for sale;
obtaining names and addresses from such public records for the purpose of solicitation or the sale of names and addresses to another for the purpose of solicitation; or
any purpose in which the requestor can reasonably anticipate the receipt of monetary gain from the direct or indirect use of such public records.

Please note, in accordance with A.R.S. §39-121.03(C), requestors are required to indicate if their request is for a commercial purpose. Failure to disclose said information could potentially result in penalties and damages as defined in the aforementioned statute.

How can I make a request for a public record?

Although the request need not be in writing, it is recommended that the requester submit a written request to better facilitate the process. Below you will find a list inclusive of all request submission options:

To submit a public records request using the NextRequest portal, please click on the "Submit a Request" hyperlink below:

Submit a Request

Please note, the Office of Public Records utilizes the NextRequest portal to streamline the processing and tracking of incoming requests. As such, all requests, irrespective of how they were originally submitted, will be inputted and processed via the NextRequest portal. Once a new request is entered into NextRequest, the requestor will receive an email confirming receipt of the request, and will also be given the opportunity to create an account. While the creation of an account is not required, it is recommended as it will facilitate any two-way communications between the requestor and the Office of Public Records. The creation of the account will also enable features which will allow for requestors to receive invoices, issue payments and retrieve records directly from the portal.

To submit a public records request via email, please email the request to the email address below:

publicrecords@arizona.edu.

To submit a public records request via mail, please mail the request to the address below:

The Office of Public Records

University Services Building

888 N. Euclid Ave.

PO Box 210158

Tucson, AZ 85721-0158

To submit a public records request via fax or telephone, please utilize the phone lines indicated below:

Office: 520-621-1986

Fax: 520-626-2228

Are there exemptions to Arizona Public Records Law?

Yes. The following exceptions are construed narrowly.

Certain statutes provide for confidentiality of records and exceptions to the Public Records Law. Examples include:
1. Student Records (In general, except for certain directory information, student educational records are exempt from disclosure under federal and state law.)
2. Some Research records
3. Some Donor information
If the release of a record would constitute an invasion of personal privacy and that invasion would outweigh the public's right to know, then the record may be redacted, and in some cases, withheld from production.
If disclosure of a record is detrimental to the best interests of the state, then the record may be redacted, or in some cases, withheld from production.

Except as provided for in ABOR 6-912 and HR-403, personnel records shall be treated as exempt from the Arizona Public Records Law.

Individual records may contain portions that are exempt from release as a public record, however, they may also contain segments not subject to exemptions. When a record is inclusive of both, redactions will be applied to the exempted information.

Note that redaction can be time consuming and that it may take longer to produce records when redactions are needed.

What if a university office or department receives a public records request?

The corresponding university office or department should forward the potential request to the Office of Public Records via email (publicrecords@arizona.edu) as soon as possible.

Is the university required to create documents to comply with a request?

No. It is the university's obligation to gather and copy existing public records. The university is not obligated to create records in order to respond to a request.

How can I contact the Office of Public Records?

Via Your Account on the NextRequest Portal (this is the preferred method of communication as it assists our office with centralizing all information relating to your request):

https://university-of-arizona.nextrequest.com/

Via Email:

publicrecords@arizona.edu

Via Telephone/Fax: