Public Records
Request a public record
Missouri's Sunshine Law gives you the right to see how your city government works. You do not have to say why you want a record, and you do not have to be a Missouri resident to ask for one.
What the law actually says
These citations are real and verifiable. The request form below is a demonstration of the flow, not a live intake.
- § 610.011, RSMo
Openness is the default
Meetings, records, votes, actions and deliberations of every public governmental body are presumed open to the public. Courts must read the law in favor of disclosure.
- § 610.023.3, RSMo
Three business days
The custodian of records must respond no later than the end of the third business day after receiving your request. If producing the records takes longer, the custodian must tell you why and give you the earliest date the records will be available.
- § 610.026.1(1), RSMo
What it can cost
Copy fees are capped at ten cents per page for standard paper copies, plus staff time billed at the rate of the lowest-salaried employee capable of doing the search and copying. You can ask for an estimate before the work starts.
- § 610.021, RSMo
What can be withheld
Only the narrow categories the statute lists — such as pending legal action, real-estate negotiations, personnel matters and certain security records. If part of a record is closed, the rest still has to be released.
- § 610.027, RSMo
If a body gets it wrong
You can seek enforcement in circuit court. A knowing violation carries a civil penalty, and a purposeful violation carries a larger one, plus costs and attorney fees.
Please note: This form is a demonstration. It does not transmit anything, and no request is created. The statutory citations above are real.
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