Request Open Records
To submit an open record request, please access the Chattanooga Open Records Center below.
There, you can browse existing records or submit and track open records such as:
- Request to the Police
- Request to the City
- Police Reports
FAQs
What is an open records request?
In Tennessee, a request to inspect or receive copies of public records is called a “public records request” or an “open records request.”
What are public records?
Public Records are “all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, microfilms, electronic data processing files and output, films, sound recordings, or other material, regardless of physical form or characteristics made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any governmental agency.”
Tenn. Code Ann. Section 10-7-503(a)(1).
Who is allowed to look at public records?
The Tennessee Public Records Act provides that any citizen of Tennessee has the right to personally inspect a public record unless there is a state law that restricts or prohibits inspection. Tenn. Code Ann. Section 10-7- 503(a)(2)(A). While only citizens of Tennessee have the right to inspect and receive copies of public records, governmental entities are not prohibited from making records accessible to individuals who are not citizens of Tennessee.