Utah FOIA Laws

Utah Open and Public Meetings Act

The Utah Open and Public Meetings Act legislates methods by which public meetings are conducted. Title 52, Chapter 4 of the Utah Code defines this law. The law states that a meeting is a gathering of a quorum of the members of a public body, either in person or through electronic methods, with the intention of discussing or deciding on public policy. The law requires that all meetings be open to the public, unless exempted under executive sessions. If violated, the court may assess reasonable attorney fees and fines associated with a class B misdemeanor.

Open and Public Meetings Act Utah Code Title 52 Chapter 4

Utah Government Records Access and Management Act

The Utah Government Records Access and Management Act is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels. Documents created by public bodies in Utah are open for inspection to any member of the public.Documents that are considered exempt from open records laws include private information about individuals and government employees (pursuant to 63G-2-302 and 63G-2-303), health records of individuals (pursuant to 63G-2-304), and records that are protected because if released they may result in security problems (pursuant to 63G-2-106) or financial speculation, unfair competition and financial instability (pursuant to 63G-2-305).

Anyone can request public records and a statement of purpose is not required. There are no restrictions on the use of public records under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act and the act requires that responses be made within at least 10 business days.

Government Records Access and Management Act Utah code Title 63G Chapter 2

Visit, Utah Sample FOIA Request, to view a sample FOIA request for the state.