Public Records Notice

This notice is designed to describe the basics of the public records policy for the Mercer County Commissioners, their departments and the elected official offices that chose to adopt it.  It is not the entire policy.

The Mercer County Commissioners follow Ohio law in responding to requests for public records.

This office will provide copies of any public record of this office that must be provided by law.

Because of the nature of the work of this office, some of the records that may be public must be reviewed by a prosecutor prior to its release to insure that non-public records and information are protected.  Such a review will take time, but will be done as promptly as possible.

If your request is for a record held by another office known to us, we will attempt to direct you to the agency that can provide you with the document.

In general, we will only request your identity, and a written request, or the reason for the request if that information will assist us in providing the documents requested.  You are not required to provide that information. Occasionally, Ohio law requires this information to determine whether a request can be honored under the law.

Please be aware that we are not required to create a record for you.

Please be aware that you are not permitted to make copies of the public records yourself.

If a public records request is denied, this office will provide you with a basic reason for the refusal.  It will only provide a written reason if the request for records is made in writing.  Any redactions made to a document will either be clearly visible to you, or you will be told the type of information redacted.

We reserve the right to charge for the actual costs of making copies (and any mailing costs, if applicable) of any records requested, and may require those charges to be paid in advance.

We reserve the right to waive any aspect of this policy, at our sole discretion, to the extent allowed by law.

The public records policy is subject to change without notice.