Form S-01 · Drafting
Request drafting
Requests written to be answerable: the records described, the period covered, the format asked for and the statutory reference cited.
Open Records RequestPublic records assistance file · Denver, Colorado
FormORR-1, request for assistance
SubjectCORA and FOIA public records requests
CustodiansColorado agencies · federal bodies
StatusOpen to enquiries
Title of form
Public records, properly requested.
Open Records Request helps people use the open records laws that already exist. We draft requests under the Colorado Open Records Act and the federal Freedom of Information Act, file them with the right custodian, track the statutory clock, and help with the next step when an agency says no or simply does not answer.
Open Records Request is not a law firm and gives no legal advice · Remote-first, Colorado, US · No public office
Part IThe life of a request, recorded in four columns
Draft, file, track, appeal
Every request we handle moves along the same ruled line. Each stage is written down, dated and kept with the file, so nothing depends on memory.
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Step 01
Draft
The records are described precisely: what they are, the period they cover, the format asked for, and the statute they fall under.
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Step 02
File
The request goes to the custodian that actually holds the record, through the channel that office monitors, with proof of delivery kept.
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Step 03
Track
The response clock is recorded and watched. You are told when an answer is due, and when a custodian has gone quiet.
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Step 04
Appeal
If the answer is no, or no answer comes at all, we set out what the law allows next and what that route usually requires.
Six services, each one documented
Each service ends in something written: a request that can be answered, a delivery receipt, a dated log entry, or a plain-language note you can act on.
Form S-02 · Filing
Filing and delivery
Submitted to the correct custodian through the channel that office actually monitors, with proof of delivery kept for the file.
Form S-03 · Tracking
Deadline tracking
The response clock recorded for every request, with reminders before a custodian goes quiet.
An open records request is not a favour. It is a form with a deadline, and it works when the form is filled in properly.Matthew Kabriel · Open Records Request · Remote-first, Colorado
Where the records live
Federal bodies, state agencies, city halls and county offices each hold their own files, under their own rules, on their own clocks. Knowing which building your answer sits in is half the work.
Records we are commonly asked for
If the record is public and a custodian holds it, it can be requested. These are the categories that cross our desk most often.
- CORA requests to Colorado agencies
- FOIA requests to federal agencies
- Local government records
- Law enforcement incident reports where releasable
- Contracts and procurement files
- Inspection and permit records
- Agency request logs
- Denial and appeal correspondence
Coverage and who we serve
Service area: Colorado public records and federal FOIA, with other state open records laws taken on request.
We work with journalists, researchers, advocacy groups, small businesses and residents who want to see what their government holds.
When the answer is no
A denial is not the end of the file; it is a documented step in it. We record what was withheld, which exemption the custodian cited, and what the law allows you to do next, in plain language. Where an agency simply does not answer, silence is itself a documented position, and the clock tells you when it became one.
Open Records Request is not a law firm and gives no legal advice. Where your situation needs an attorney, we will say so plainly.
Form ORR-CTA · rev. 03/2025
Tell us which record you want to see.
Send the subject, the agency you think holds it, and what you need it for. You will hear back from a person, during business hours, Monday to Friday.