FAQs

What public records are available to the public?

Arizona Public Record Laws provide access to most records created or kept by state and local government agencies unless

  • they are confidential by law (statute, rule, or privilege),
  • privacy interests outweigh the public’s right to know, or
  • disclosure is not in the best interest of the state.

Additionally, laws generally do not require public agencies to perform research or analyze data on someone’s behalf, answer questions posed, or create new records in response to a request.


Do I have to tell the public body why I want the record?

You are not required to state the purpose for the record request or the reason you want the record. You are required to disclose whether the public records will be used for a commercial or non-commercial purpose. Requestors are required to provide the purpose of a commercial request.


What is a commercial purpose?

A commercial purpose includes:

  1. Obtaining records which will be used for sale or resale
  2. Obtaining names and addresses for purpose of solicitation, or
  3. The sale of names and addresses for the purpose of solicitation or any other purpose in which the purchaser can reasonable anticipate monetary gain. A.R.S. § 39-121.03.

This does not include the use of public records as evidence or research for evidence in an action. It also does not include obtaining records for news gathering.


How long does the public body have to provide the records requested?

The law requires prompt disclosure. Pinal County generally processes requests in the order in which they are received. Response time can vary based on reasonable circumstances such as the agency’s resources, the nature of the request, the content of the records (particularly if redaction is needed) and the location of the records. 

   

What if I only have a question or want general information?

If you are seeking general information, rather than a public record, please check our website at https://www.pinalcountyaz.gov/ to see if you can find the information. You can also call our Citizen Contact Center on 311 (within Pinal County) or 520-509-3555. If the questions can be easily answered, it is not necessary to submit an online Public Records Request. However, if the request encompasses records from many different departments or files or specific records from one particular file, you are asked to submit an online request.


How much do the records cost?

Certain Departments may administer a charge for staff time, particularly for commercial requests. You will be notified if your request will incur a charge.


Do I need to create an account in NextRequest?

If you create an account you will be able to login to the portal at any time to see all your requests in one place. An account will be created for you when you submit your first request and you provide an email. After you submit a request you will be prompted to set up a password, then you will be sent a confirmation email with a link to click to confirm your account.