Kansas
Kansas Public Records Laws: The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) Explained
The Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. 45-215 et seq., opens public records to any person with no residency requirement. Its most distinctive feature is what it does with police video: K.S.A. 45-254 classifies every body camera and vehicle camera recording as a criminal investigation record, then carves out a narrow 20-day viewing right for the people actually in the footage.
Information last verified on 2026-08-04. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This page covers Kansas state law only. For records held by a federal agency, see our guide on how to file a FOIA request. To compare Kansas against other states, start at the public records laws by state hub.
The Kansas Open Records Act
KORA, codified at K.S.A. 45-215 and following, governs access to records held by Kansas state agencies, counties, cities, school districts, universities, and other public agencies. Its core rule is in K.S.A. 45-218(a): all public records shall be open for inspection by any person, except as otherwise provided by the act.
Kansas does not call its law FOIA, and KORA does not reach federal agencies. A request for federal records goes to the federal agency under 5 U.S.C. 552.
Who Can Request Records in Kansas
Any person may request. KORA imposes no residency requirement, no citizenship requirement, and no requirement that you be a Kansas taxpayer. That places Kansas in the majority of states and on the opposite side from resident-only Kentucky.
The act also does not condition access on your explaining what you plan to do with the records for ordinary requests. Certain narrow categories, such as requests for records containing names and addresses that could be used for commercial solicitation, carry their own statutory conditions, but the general rule imposes no purpose test.
Kansas Response Deadlines
KORA's timing rule is unusual in shape, and describing it as a flat 3-day deadline overstates it.
The general obligation is that a public agency must act on a request as soon as possible. There is no fixed statutory number of days for producing records.
The 3-day figure attaches specifically to denials. Under K.S.A. 45-218(d), when an agency denies access to a record in whole or in part, the written statement of the grounds for denial must cite the specific provision of law under which access is denied, and it must be furnished to the requester not later than the end of the third business day following the date the request for that statement is received.
So the reliable use of the 3-day rule is this: if an agency refuses you, you can ask in writing for the statutory statement of grounds, and that statement is due by the end of the third business day. That written statement is valuable. It forces the agency to name the exemption it is relying on, which is what you need to evaluate whether the denial is defensible and what a court would later review. These provisions are current as of August 2026.
What Kansas Records Requests Cost
K.S.A. 45-219 governs fees, and Kansas takes a cost-recovery approach rather than a capped-rate approach.
An agency may charge reasonable fees not to exceed the actual cost of furnishing the requested records, including the cost of staff time necessary to make the records available. Two limits matter. Staff time must be charged at the lowest-cost category of employee reasonably necessary to do the work, so an agency cannot bill a lawyer's rate for photocopying. And employee benefits are excluded from the calculation.
Kansas does not set a statutory per-page copy cap the way Georgia, Illinois, and Florida do. If you have seen a figure such as 25 cents per page described as automatically reasonable under Kansas law, treat it with caution; that language does not appear in the current text of K.S.A. 45-219. Individual agencies do publish their own fee schedules under their KORA policies, and those published rates are the practical figure for any given agency. Ask for the agency's fee schedule and an estimate before authorizing work.
Kansas gives you something most states do not: a route to challenge a fee without going to court. A person requesting records within the executive branch may appeal the reasonableness of the fees charged to the Secretary of Administration, whose decision is final. That is a fee-specific remedy. It resolves whether the charge is reasonable, not whether the record should have been released, so it does not substitute for the denial remedies below.
KORA does not include a federal-style public-interest fee waiver you can claim as of right. The cost-recovery ceiling and the fee-reasonableness appeal are the protections instead.
How to File a Kansas Open Records Request
Kansas has no central portal. Requests go to the individual agency's freedom of information officer or records custodian. Kansas agencies are required to designate a local freedom of information officer, and the contact is usually published on the agency website.
- Identify the agency and its freedom of information officer.
- Put the request in writing, by email or letter. Writing establishes the dates you will need for any denial statement or court action.
- Describe the records specifically. Because Kansas bills actual staff time, narrowing a request by date, department, or record type has a direct effect on the price.
- Ask for the agency's fee schedule and a cost estimate before it begins work.
- If you are denied, immediately request the written statement of grounds under K.S.A. 45-218(d). Do this in writing so the third-business-day clock is documented.
- Keep everything.
Our free FOIA request generator produces a Kansas-specific request letter citing KORA. Nothing typed into it is stored or transmitted.
Exemptions Under KORA
KORA's exemptions appear principally in K.S.A. 45-221, which lists records an agency is not required to disclose. The list is long and includes personnel records, medical records, records of an ongoing criminal investigation, notes and preliminary drafts, attorney work product, certain security information, and information that other state or federal law makes confidential.
Two features of Kansas practice are worth knowing. Most exemptions are permissive rather than mandatory, meaning the statute says the agency is not required to disclose rather than that it must not. An agency therefore often has discretion to release, and asking it to exercise that discretion is a legitimate request. And when only part of a record is exempt, the agency should redact and release the remainder rather than withholding the whole document.
Police Records and Body Camera Footage
This is where Kansas departs most sharply from its neighbors, and where getting the mechanics right matters most.
Ordinary police records are subject to the criminal investigation records exemption while a matter is active. But K.S.A. 45-254 goes further with video. It provides that every audio or video recording made and retained by law enforcement using a body camera or a vehicle camera shall be considered a criminal investigation record.
That classification is categorical. It does not depend on whether a particular recording captured anything investigative. A traffic stop, a welfare check, a routine call, all of it is a criminal investigation record by definition, which places it outside ordinary KORA disclosure to the general public.
Against that backdrop, the statute creates a narrow but real access right for the people with the strongest stake in the footage. The following may request to listen to a requested audio recording or view a requested video recording:
- The person depicted in the recording.
- A parent or legal guardian of a minor depicted in the recording.
- An heir at law of a deceased person depicted in the recording.
- An attorney representing any of the people above.
When such a request is made, the agency must allow that person to listen to or view the recording within 20 days after the request. Reasonable fees may apply.
Read the verb carefully, because this is the single most common Kansas misunderstanding. The statutory right is to listen or view. It is not automatically a right to be handed a copy of the file. In practice this often means an appointment at the agency to watch the footage rather than a download link in your inbox. You can certainly ask for a copy, and agencies sometimes provide one, but the enforceable 20-day obligation under this provision is the viewing.
Two practical consequences. If you are in the footage, say so explicitly and identify which of the four categories you fall into, because the right depends on that status. And if litigation is realistic, the discovery process, not KORA, is usually how a copy is obtained.
For 911 audio and dispatch records, which are not body camera recordings and are analyzed separately, see our page on whether 911 calls are public records.
Appealing a Denial in Kansas
Kansas has no records ombudsman that issues binding decisions on disclosure. There is no equivalent of the Illinois Public Access Counselor's binding opinion. Kansas instead gives you two enforcement channels.
The Attorney General
The Kansas Attorney General has independent investigative and enforcement authority under K.S.A. 45-251. The Attorney General may investigate an alleged violation and may issue a finding of violation or enter into a consent order with the agency before any court action is filed. Filing a complaint with the Attorney General costs nothing and is the sensible first step for many requesters, particularly where the dispute is about an agency's blanket practice rather than a single judgment call.
District Court
Under K.S.A. 45-222, a civil action may be brought in the district court of the county where the records are located, seeking an injunction, mandamus, or other appropriate order. Any person may bring it, and so may the Attorney General or a county or district attorney.
The procedural rules favor requesters in two important ways. The court reviews the matter de novo, meaning it decides the question fresh rather than deferring to the agency's judgment. And the burden of proof rests on the public agency to justify withholding, not on you to justify access.
On fees, the court shall award costs and reasonable attorney fees to the plaintiff if it finds the agency's denial was not in good faith and without a reasonable basis in fact or law. That is a meaningful standard but not an automatic one; an agency that loses a close, honestly argued call may not have to pay your fees.
Records KORA Does Not Reach
Birth, death, and marriage certificates are vital records held by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment under a separate statutory scheme with eligibility limits on who may receive a certified copy. They are not KORA records. Our Kansas death records guide explains who qualifies and how to order.
Deeds and land records are county register of deeds records, covered in our Kansas property records guide. Court case files and warrants are court records rather than agency records; see Kansas warrant search.
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Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information about the Kansas Open Records Act as of August 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes, agency fee schedules, and procedures change. If a public records dispute affects your legal rights, consult an attorney licensed in Kansas about your specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to live in Kansas to request public records?
No. K.S.A. 45-218(a) opens all public records to inspection by any person, with no residency or citizenship requirement.
Does Kansas have a 3-day deadline for public records requests?
Not for producing records. The general duty is to act as soon as possible. The 3-day rule is narrower: under K.S.A. 45-218(d), when an agency denies access it must furnish a written statement citing the specific provision of law relied on, no later than the end of the third business day after the request for that statement is received. Asking in writing for that statement is what triggers the clock.
How much can a Kansas agency charge for records?
KORA limits fees to the actual cost of furnishing the records, including staff time charged at the lowest-cost category of employee reasonably necessary to do the work, with employee benefits excluded. There is no statutory per-page cap in Kansas the way there is in Illinois, Georgia, or Florida, so individual agencies set published rates. Ask for the agency's fee schedule and an estimate before work begins.
What if I think the fee is too high?
For records within the executive branch, a requester may appeal the reasonableness of the fees charged to the Secretary of Administration, whose decision is final. That remedy decides whether the charge is reasonable, not whether the record should be released, so it is separate from challenging a denial.
Is there a public-interest fee waiver in Kansas?
KORA does not create one you can claim as of right. The cost-recovery limit and the fee-reasonableness appeal to the Secretary of Administration are the cost protections instead. An agency may reduce or waive charges at its discretion, so asking costs nothing.
Can I get police body camera footage in Kansas?
Not as a member of the general public. K.S.A. 45-254 classifies every audio or video recording made and retained by law enforcement using a body camera or vehicle camera as a criminal investigation record, which puts it outside ordinary KORA disclosure. A narrow group has a statutory viewing right: the person depicted, a parent or guardian of a depicted minor, heirs at law of a depicted deceased person, and attorneys representing any of them.
If I am in the video, do I get a copy?
The enforceable right under K.S.A. 45-254 is to listen to or view the recording, and the agency must allow that within 20 days of the request. Reasonable fees may apply. It is not automatically a right to receive a copy of the file, which often means viewing it at the agency. You can ask for a copy, and agencies sometimes provide one, but if a copy is essential, litigation discovery is usually the realistic route.
How long does the agency have to let me view the footage?
Within 20 days after the request is made, for a requester who falls into one of the four categories K.S.A. 45-254 names.
Can I appeal a Kansas records denial to a state board?
There is no Kansas board that issues binding disclosure decisions. Your options are a complaint to the Attorney General, who has investigative and enforcement authority under K.S.A. 45-251 and may issue a finding of violation or enter a consent order, or a civil action under K.S.A. 45-222 in the district court of the county where the records are located.
Who has to prove the record should be withheld?
The agency. In a K.S.A. 45-222 action the court reviews the matter de novo and the burden of proof rests on the public agency. The court shall award costs and reasonable attorney fees to the plaintiff if the denial was not in good faith and lacked a reasonable basis in fact or law.
Are Kansas exemptions mandatory?
Most of the exemptions in K.S.A. 45-221 are written as records an agency is not required to disclose, which leaves the agency discretion to release them anyway. Asking an agency to exercise that discretion is a legitimate request, and it is a different argument from claiming the record is not exempt at all.
Can I use KORA to get a Kansas death certificate?
No. Vital records are held by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment under a separate statutory scheme with eligibility limits on who may obtain a certified copy. A KORA request will not produce one.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- K.S.A. 45-218, inspection of public records and the written statement of grounds for denial(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- K.S.A. 45-219, fees for copies and appeal of fee reasonableness to the Secretary of Administration(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- K.S.A. 45-254, body camera and vehicle camera recordings as criminal investigation records(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- K.S.A. 45-222, civil enforcement of the Kansas Open Records Act(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- K.S.A. 45-221, records not required to be disclosed(ksrevisor.gov).gov
- K.S.A. 45-251, Attorney General investigative and enforcement authority(ksrevisor.gov).gov