Wagnon, Samuel

Tennessee Open Records Act

Tenn. Code Ann. 10-7-503 et seq.

The Tennessee 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. Records in the possession of public agencies in Tennessee are open to perusal by the public unless they are specifically exempted by statute or case law. Records are defined as any documents, no matter the physical form which are "made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any governmental agency."

Any citizen of Tennessee can request public records and a statement of purpose is not required. The Tennessee Open Records Act does not restrict the use of records and allows seven days to respond to records requests.