GRAMA, the Government Records Access and Management Act, is Utah’s public records law. It starts from the premise that every record created or held by a state or local government agency is public unless a specific statute says otherwise, and it gives any person the right to inspect those records, request copies, and appeal when access is denied.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-201 – Provisions Relating to Records The law is codified at Utah Code Title 63G, Chapter 2, and it covers everything from classification of records to deadlines, fees, and penalties for agencies that refuse to comply.
The practical effect is that you do not have to justify why you want a record. The agency has to justify withholding it.
How GRAMA Classifies Records
What you can obtain depends on how the record is classified. GRAMA uses four categories.
Public records are the default. Minutes from open government meetings, government contracts, and records showing how public funds are received or spent are always public.2Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-301 – Public Records You can inspect public records for free during normal business hours.
Private records contain personal information about individuals, including medical history, unemployment eligibility data, and welfare determinations.3Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-302 – Private Records Access is limited to the subject of the record, an authorized representative, or someone with a specific legal right to it.
Protected records cover information whose release could cause concrete harm, such as trade secrets businesses submit to the state, records tied to ongoing enforcement or audit work, and security information.4Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-305 – Protected Records An agency withholding a record on this basis must point to a specific risk or statutory provision.
Controlled records are the narrowest category. A record qualifies only when it contains medical, psychiatric, or psychological data about an individual and the agency reasonably believes releasing it directly to the person would harm their mental health or endanger someone’s safety.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-304 – Controlled Records A controlled record might go to a therapist or authorized representative rather than directly to the subject.
How to File a GRAMA Request
A written request has to include your name, mailing address, daytime phone number, and email address if you are willing to be contacted that way. It also has to describe the records you want with reasonable specificity.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-204 – Record Request, Response, Time for Responding You do not need an exact file name, but a request for “all emails between the city manager and XYZ Development from January through March 2025” will move faster than “all emails about development.”
The Utah State Archives publishes a standard GRAMA request form that covers every required field and includes sections for expedited response and fee waiver requests.7Utah State Archives and Records Service. GRAMA Request Form Many agencies post their own versions as well. Utah’s Open Records Portal lets you submit requests to participating government entities electronically.8Utah Division of Archives and Records Service. Open Records Portal You can also mail or email the request directly to the agency’s records officer.
Send the request to the agency that actually holds the records. If you pick the wrong one, the agency should tell you who has them and provide contact information.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-204 – Record Request, Response, Time for Responding If you are asking for records that might be restricted, explain your connection, such as being the subject of the record or an authorized representative.
How Long the Agency Has to Respond
An agency has 10 business days after receiving your written request to approve it, deny it, or tell you it does not have the records.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-204 – Record Request, Response, Time for Responding If you can show that an expedited response benefits the public rather than just you, the deadline drops to five business days. People requesting records for a news story or broadcast are presumed to meet that standard automatically.
Agencies can claim “extraordinary circumstances” to extend the deadline when a request covers a very large volume, requires legal review, demands extensive redaction, or involves records temporarily held by another agency. When they do, they must give you a notice and a specific date for the response. You can appeal that claimed extension through the same process used for denials.
What a GRAMA Request Costs
Agencies can charge for duplication and for staff time spent searching, though the first 15 minutes of staff time is typically free. Per-page copy fees and hourly research rates vary by agency, so it is worth asking for a cost estimate before submitting a large request.
GRAMA encourages fee waivers in three situations: when releasing the record primarily benefits the public rather than you alone, when you are the subject of the record, or when you lack financial resources and your legal rights are directly affected by the information.9Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-203 – Fees The standard request form includes a section for requesting a waiver. A denied waiver can be appealed the same way as a denied record.
What to Do If You Are Denied
GRAMA sets up three levels of review when an agency denies access, restricts a record, or refuses a fee waiver.
Your first step is a notice of appeal to the chief administrative officer of the agency that denied the request. You have 30 days from the denial to file, and the officer has 10 business days to issue a written decision (five if expedited review is justified).10Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-401 – Appeal to Chief Administrative Officer, Notice of the Decision of the Appeal
If that appeal fails, you can take the matter to the director of the Government Records Office.11Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-402 – Appeal to the Director of the Government Records Office The director holds a hearing, reviews the disputed records privately, and can order disclosure of records classified as private, controlled, or protected when the public interest in access is greater than or equal to the interest in restriction.12Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-403 – Hearing
Either side can then petition for judicial review in district court within 30 days of the director’s order.13Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-404 – Judicial Review The court applies the same balancing test and can impose limits on how you use or share information from private or controlled records.
Penalties for Agencies That Refuse
A public employee who intentionally refuses to release a record, knowing that disclosure is required by law or by a final unappealed order, is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.14Utah Legislature. Utah Code 63G-2-801 – Remedies A good-faith belief that the employee was following the law is a defense. Agencies can also impose their own discipline, up to termination. Those penalties sit alongside the appeals process, so an agency that stonewalls a legitimate request faces both individual criminal exposure and the prospect of being overruled.