Access to Public Records

Under Oregon’s Public Records law (ORS 192) any individual or organization may request that Multnomah County provide copies or access to written documents and materials, including procurement and contract documents.  Please note that this policy pertains to records that have already been created. Multnomah County is not required to create new records to meet a request. 

These procedures apply to the Transportation Division. For record requests from other offices in Multnomah County, please contact that office or refer to the county’s Records Management Program.

How Do I Request Public Records?

Record requests must be made in writing or by email. Be sure to include:

  • Your name
  • Your contact information
  • A specific description of the records you are requesting
  • The date range of the records you are requesting
  • Whether you are requesting copies of the records or to inspect them in person
  • The format you want  - paper copies, digital files

Who Do I Contact?

Requests for all programs in the Transportation Division should be submitted to:

transportation.records@multco.us
(503) 988-5050

How Will You Respond?

We will provide a written response as soon as possible. In our response, we will:

  • Provide you an estimate of the full cost of the request (if there is a cost)
  • If there is a cost, payment is required before the County will produce the records
  • We may ask some questions to narrow down or clarify your request

We will also notify the County Attorney’s office of any record request.

What Will It Cost?

We may bill you for the following costs as needed:

  • Research and retrieval, including re-filing the records when we’re done
  • Redaction (removing details such as personal information)
  • Copying, including special handling like oversized paper or binding
  • Digital storage such as a flash drive
  • Mailing or shipping
  • Legal review

Because each request is unique, other costs may apply on a case-by-case basis.  The County will estimate the cost based on having the appropriate employee retrieve the records requested. Labor costs will vary, depending on which employee does the work.

We will provide you with an estimate of the total cost in our written response before we proceed with fulfilling the request.

Fees may be waived or reduced on a case-by-case basis. If you request a reduction or waiver of fees, the decision will be made by the manager of the section responding to your request.

How Do I Pay?

Payment may be made by cash or check only.

Payment must be received before we will copy or mail the records.

Certified Payroll Requests

In order to release certified payrolls, we must copy them and redact certain personal information. Therefore, there will be an upfront cost for all payroll requests. Due to privacy laws, there is no option to just look at the files at no charge.

Legal Basis

Access to and production of public records is provided in compliance with ORS Chapter 192 and Multnomah County Administrative Procedure REC-2 (Multnomah County Public Records Disclosure Practice).