Under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, any person can inspect and copy Indiana public records held by a state or local government agency, without giving a reason and without being an Indiana resident. Court files and many property records are searchable online for free. Everything else usually requires a short written request to the agency that holds the record, and the agency has to respond within a few days.
What Counts as a Public Record
Indiana law starts from the presumption that government records are open. The agency, not you, carries the burden of justifying any refusal. That covers a wide range of documents:
- Court filings, criminal case histories, judgments, and orders.
- Deeds, mortgages, liens, and tax assessments at the county level.
- Arrest logs, incident reports, and daily booking information from law enforcement.
- Agency budgets, contracts, meeting minutes, environmental permits, and professional licensing files.
Electronic records get the same treatment as paper. An agency cannot refuse to release something just because it lives in a database.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-4 – Records and Recordings Exempted From Disclosure
Searching Court and Property Records Online
Before filing any formal request, check whether what you need is already published.
Court Records on myCase
Indiana’s statewide court portal, myCase at mycase.in.gov, is free and open to anyone. You can search civil and criminal case details, final orders and judgments in criminal cases, appellate opinions, and orders in many civil case types. Protection order cases, sealed cases, and successfully expunged cases do not appear in search results.2Indiana Judicial Branch. Searching MyCase
Property Records by County
Property records are held at the county level, not statewide. Most Indiana county recorders now run online search portals for deeds, mortgages, and other recorded documents, though the tools and coverage differ from county to county. Start at your county recorder’s website. For older records that were never digitized, you may need to visit the recorder’s office in person.
Administrative Records
Budgets, meeting minutes, permit files, and similar administrative documents usually are not posted online unless the agency chooses to publish them. For those, you’ll need to send a request.
How to Request Records From an Agency
Indiana does not require a specific form, but a clear, well-targeted request gets a faster response.
First, identify the right agency. Criminal case documents go to the court clerk or prosecutor’s office. Property records go to the county recorder or assessor. Budget records go to the agency that spent the money. Agencies generally are not obligated to forward a misdirected request, so sending it to the wrong office just costs you time.
Second, describe the records specifically. Include dates, names, case numbers, or other identifying details. A request for “all records related to construction” invites delay or an outright denial for being overly broad. You do not have to cite APRA or any statute, though mentioning it signals you know your rights.
Response Deadlines
How you submit the request affects how quickly the agency has to respond:
- In person or by phone: 24 hours.
- By mail, fax, or email: seven days from receipt.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-9 – Denial of Disclosure; Action to Compel
Those deadlines govern the initial response, not the actual delivery of documents. A response might just acknowledge the request and estimate when the records will be ready. APRA does not set a hard delivery deadline; it requires production within a “reasonable period of time,” which depends on how broad the request is, how old the records are, and whether exempt material has to be reviewed and redacted first.4Indiana State Government. Guide to the Access to Public Records Act
Fees
Inspecting records in person is free. If you want copies, the agency can charge for actual copying costs, with a standard rate of ten cents per page.4Indiana State Government. Guide to the Access to Public Records Act Certified copies or specialized formats may cost more. Agencies are not allowed to set fees designed to discourage requests.
What the Agency Can Keep From You
APRA splits exemptions into two groups. The first lists records agencies are required to withhold. The second lists records agencies are allowed to withhold but can release if they choose.
Required Withholdings
- Social Security numbers in any public agency’s records. County recorders have a separate duty to search recorded documents and redact Social Security numbers before releasing them.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-4 – Records and Recordings Exempted From Disclosure5Justia Law. Indiana Code 36-2-7.5 – Recording Documents Containing Social Security Numbers
- Patient medical records and charts, absent the patient’s written consent or another statute authorizing release.
- Trade secrets submitted to agencies during bidding or regulatory processes.
- Autopsy photographs, video, and audio recordings.
- Records that federal law requires to be kept confidential.
Discretionary Withholdings
The most commonly invoked discretionary exemption covers law enforcement investigatory records. An agency can refuse to release an investigatory file, and in some situations can decline to confirm whether a record exists at all, if disclosure would compromise an ongoing investigation or endanger someone’s safety.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-4.4 – Investigatory Records Once the investigation ends and charges are resolved, that justification usually weakens.
Internal advisory and deliberative communications fall under a second discretionary exemption. Because this category is discretionary, you can ask the agency to release the records anyway, and some will.
Partial Records and Redaction
When a record contains both disclosable and exempt information, the agency must redact the exempt parts and release the rest. Withholding the whole document because part of it is confidential is not allowed.4Indiana State Government. Guide to the Access to Public Records Act
If Your Request Is Denied
A denial should cite the specific statutory exemption the agency is relying on. A flat refusal with no legal basis is itself an APRA violation. You have two options for pushing back.
Complaint to the Public Access Counselor
The Indiana Public Access Counselor advises the public and government officials on the state’s open-records laws.7Indiana Public Access Counselor. Indiana Public Access Counselor You can file a formal complaint using the form at in.gov/pac. The complaint must be filed within 30 days of the denial.8Indiana Public Access Counselor. Guide to Filing a Formal Complaint
Complete the form fully, sign and date it, attach the agency’s written denial if you have one, and explain why you believe the denial was wrong. Cite the statute you think entitles you to the records if you can. Include every piece of evidence or argument in the initial submission, because the office may not accept supplemental materials later.
One caveat: the PAC issues advisory opinions, not binding orders. Most agencies comply voluntarily, but the counselor cannot force an agency to hand over records. If the opinion does not resolve the dispute, the next step is court.
Lawsuit to Compel Disclosure
You can file suit under Indiana Code 5-14-3-9 to compel release. Courts are required to expedite these cases, and if you substantially prevail, the court can award reasonable attorney fees and court costs.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-9 – Denial of Disclosure; Action to Compel Filing a PAC complaint first is not required. You can go straight to court, though starting with the PAC is faster and free, and many disputes get resolved at that stage.