Womochil, Joel Justice

Kansas Open Records Act

KSA 45-215 et. seq.

The Kansas Open Records Act is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Kansas. The act defines public records as any records that are created or kept in public agencies and that pertain to the workings of the government.

Anyone can request public documents and while the law does not require an explicit statement of purpose, departments are allowed to reject records claims if it places “an unreasonable burden” on the department or if the department feels it is designed to disrupt the flow of the workings of government. The Kansas Open Records Act does not permit the use of lists of names and addresses for commercial purposes outside of political and educational opportunities and the use of student lists by university sales offices. The act allows three days for a department to respond to a request.