Under Chapter 132 of North Carolina’s Enacted Legislation Statues, public records are defined as “all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions.”
With a few key exceptions (tax information, criminal investigations and anything that would violate personal privacy laws), this means that any record of a public meeting or ordinance, whether it be through the local school board, city government or state legislature, is available for public review upon request. For more information, see Guide to Open Government and Public Records, co-produced by the N.C. Department of Justice and the nonprofit N.C. Press Association.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.