What happens when I file a public-records request with Tamarack County?

How do I make a request?

At the counter, by post, or through the published records contact. Section 1 of the Public Records Request Procedure says staff ask what record you seek, not why you want it. Describe the record as clearly as you can: the department, the subject, the date range if you know it. You do not have to explain your purpose, and staff will not ask.

I coordinate the procedure, and every request that arrives is entered in the request log on receipt.

What does the acknowledgement contain?

Section 2: the county acknowledges a request within 10 business days. The acknowledgement names four things. The log reference, so you can refer to the request later. The scope as we understood it, so you can correct us if we misread the request. The next review date. And any clarification we need from you.

Is the acknowledgement a promise of disclosure?

No, and the procedure says so in the same section. An acknowledgement is not a promise that every record will be supplied within that period. It confirms that the request is logged, understood and moving. The procedure sets the 10 business day acknowledgement; it does not set a separate deadline for disclosure, and I will not invent one at the counter. What you will get is the next review date, in writing, every time.

Will I be charged?

Only according to the published copy-fee schedule, and only after the basis and the estimate have been explained to you in writing. Section 3 adds two protections. Where electronic inspection is available we offer it, which often costs nothing. And we record any limit you agree to, so the bill cannot exceed what you authorised.

One thing the procedure forbids outright: substituting a permit application fee for a records copy fee. The permit desk's $85 fence fee and the clerk's copy fees are different schedules for different things.

How are exemptions handled?

Section 4: individually. Staff review each exemption on its own and separate the releasable portions of a record from the protected details, rather than withholding a whole file because one line is protected. If part of a record is refused, the refusal names the applicable provision of the county's Records Act and the review route. Staff must not invent a legal citation. If I cannot name the provision, I cannot refuse on it.

What stays in the log?

Section 5 lists it: receipt, acknowledgement, search scope, fee estimate, the disclosure or exemption decision, and the closure date. The log is how a later reader, including you on appeal, can see what was asked, what was found and what was decided.

How does a pending request affect other county records?

A pending records request suspends disposal of the relevant records. Under the Planning & Building Records Retention Schedule, I confirm the hold and record its scope before any scheduled destruction proceeds. So a request does more than ask for a copy: it keeps the record in existence until the request is closed.

What should I expect, in order?

1. You describe the record. We log it.
2. Within 10 business days you receive an acknowledgement with a log reference, the scope, the next review date and any clarification needed.
3. If copies will cost, you receive the basis and estimate in writing first.
4. Exemptions are reviewed one by one; releasable parts are released.
5. Any refusal names its provision and your review route.
6. The log records the closure date.

What if I am not sure which record I need?

Describe what you know and let the acknowledgement do its job. The acknowledgement states the scope as we understood it, so if we have read the request more narrowly or more broadly than you meant, you can correct it before the search goes further. The clarification question in the acknowledgement is there for the same reason. A request that starts vague and is sharpened by one exchange is normal; the log records both the original wording and the clarified scope.

Can I inspect records without buying copies?

Often, yes. Section 3 requires staff to offer electronic inspection where it is available, and inspection carries no copy fee. If you then want copies of particular pages, the fee basis and estimate are explained in writing first, and any limit you set is recorded so the charge cannot exceed it.

Q&A

The questions people ask about public-records requests are answered below.

Last updated 1 October 2026.