Walk It Through: The Records Request
A request to the town, an acknowledgment within 5 working days, a fee estimate, a denial, and 30 days to appeal.
A resident asks the town office for emails about a road project.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A request to a town for ordinary records. Confidential records, legislative papers and court records follow their own rules.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Freedom of Access ActMaine's public records law: anyone may inspect or copy a public record, the agency acknowledges a request within 5 working days, and the first 2 hours of staff time are free.
- Civil violationAn offense punished by a fine rather than as a crime, such as using drug paraphernalia, with a $300 fine, or consuming cannabis in public, with a fine of up to $100.