Public Records

Plain English Breakdown

The bill was withdrawn, so it did not become an active law and its provisions are no longer applicable.

Public Records Fee for Inspection

This bill allows government record keepers to charge fees if looking at certain public records would take more than one hour of an employee's time.

What This Bill Does

• Adds a new rule allowing records custodians to ask for payment after the first hour if looking at requested records takes more than one hour of an employee's time.
• Specifies that no fee is charged for the first hour, but after that, fees can be based on how much employees are paid.

Who It Names or Affects

• Government entities and their record keepers
• People requesting to view public records

Terms To Know

records custodian

A person responsible for keeping and managing government records.

public record

Documents, papers, or other materials that are created or kept by a government entity and available to the public.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill was withdrawn on February 6, 2025, so it is no longer active.
• It does not specify how much the hourly fee can be beyond being proportional to employee pay rates.

Official Summary Text

Present law prohibits a
governmental entity
from
requir
ing
a written request or assess
ing
a charge to view a
public record unless otherwise required by law.
This bill authorizes a
records custodian
to

assess
a fee to view records if the records requested reasonably require more than one hour of an employee's time to collect for inspection. A records custodian
m
ust
not assess a fee for the first hour
, but after
the first hour, the records custodian may charge a fee at an hourly rate that is in proportion to the rate of pay of the employee who is collecting the records.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 730
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 903
By Vital

HB0903
002989
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10,
Chapter 7, relative to open records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a)(7)(A)(i), is amended by
deleting the following language:
A governmental entity shall not require a written request or assess a charge to
view a public record unless otherwise required by law.
and substituting instead:
A governmental entity shall not require a written request or assess a charge to
view a public record unless otherwise required by law or as provided in
subdivision (a)(8).
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 10-7-503(a), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(8) A records custodian may require a requestor to pay a fee to view records if
the records requested reasonably require more than one (1) hour of an employee's time
to collect for inspection by the requestor. A records custodian shall not assess a fee for
the first hour an employee works on a request. After the first hour, the records custodian
may charge a fee at an hourly rate that is in proportion to the rate of pay of the employee
who is collecting the records.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.