Administrative Records Request

Office of the Colorado State Public Defender
Policies and Procedures for Public Access to Administrative Records

The following policies and procedures apply to all public requests for access to administrative records of the Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD). This information is provided as general information regarding the process and fees related to a request for information made pursuant to the Public Access to Information and Records Rule (hereinafter referenced as P.A.I.R.R.).

Please note: This procedure cannot be used to obtain documents from case files. If you are a current or former client (or an attorney representing a former client with a valid release of information) requesting copies of your case file, please contact the regional trial office that handled the case for assistance. A list of regional offices can be found here. If you are not a current or former client, you can look for information about specific cases here: https://www.courts.state.co.us/Administration/Program.cfm?Program=11.

To assist in making the process as efficient and cost-effective as possible, any member of the public requesting administrative records should be aware of the following:

General Procedures

  • Any request for inspection of administrative records must be made in accordance with these OSPD procedures.
  • P.A.I.R.R. allows inspection only of records in existence and maintained by the OSPD. It does not require our agency to create records or to summarize or compile information or data that may be contained in those records.
  • The OSPD will determine the format in which records will be inspected or produced. In making this decision, consideration will be given to such factors as the format in which the record is stored and the number of records requested. While consideration will also be given to the format requested by the requestor, requests for inspection of records in specific formats cannot always be accommodated.
  • Fees will be charged to recover the cost of responding to requests pursuant to P.A.I.R.R. and Chief Justice Directive (CJD) 06-01. Fees will be charged for such things as time spent researching the existence of the administrative record, time spent redacting from the record any information that may or must not be disclosed, and costs related to copying the records. A list of fees is set forth below.
  • If a record is not available for inspection, the requestor may request a written statement setting forth the grounds for denial of the request. A response will be provided within a reasonable time.
  • State statutes, federal statutes and regulations, court rules, or court orders may apply to your request to inspect records. Those authorities may alter the process, time limits, and which, if any, records are available in response to your request.
  • Be specific. Overly general or broad requests may result in delay in responding to your request, costs to you for records searches, and a large number of records being produced at a high cost to you.
  • OSPD does not accept anonymous requests. Requestors must fully complete the Request to Inspect Administrative Records.

Fees

  • The OSPD will charge fees to recover costs incurred in connection with responding to a request to inspect administrative records. Prior to responding to a request, the custodian will provide you with an estimate of the costs associated with responding to the request. The records will not be retrieved, redacted, copied or otherwise produced for inspection until payment of the estimate is received in advance. If, after the records are gathered, redacted and copied/scanned, the estimate is too small, records will not be produced until the balance due is paid. If the estimate is greater than the actual cost of production, any overpayment will be returned to the requestor at the time the records are produced. Pursuant to CJD 06-01, fees are as follows:
    • Review, research and/or redaction of documents: $30.00 per hour (charged in ¼ hour increments).
    • Copies: $.25 per page/$.50 double-sided copies.
    • Scanning: $.25 per page/$.50 double-sided copies.
    • Employee time supervising inspection of records: $30.00 per hour (charged in ¼ hour increments).
    • CDs/portable drive: $20.00
    • Transmission: the OSPD will charge the actual postage or private package carrier rates incurred responding to the request.

    Payment must be by check or money order, made payable to The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. Cash, credit cards or any other form of payment cannot be accepted.

Request

  • In order to inspect administrative records pursuant to P.A.I.R.R., the requesting party must complete the Request to Inspect Public Records Form and submit the form via electronic mail to: records.request@coloradodefenders.us or via United States Mail to:

    Custodian of Records
    Office of the State Public Defender
    1300 Broadway Suite 400
    Denver, CO 80203

     

    Please note: no hand-delivered or telephone requests will be accepted.