COLORADO OPEN RECORDS ACT (CORA)
C.R.S. 24-72-201 et seq.Last Revised: January 24, 2011
This procedure represents several of our core organizational principles- open government, citizen involvement, and organizational accountability. Douglas County government, its Board of County Commissioners, Elected Officials, and all county employees support the principle of ensuring that we maintain an open and accessible governing body. We make a commitment to fulfill every request for public information as efficiently and expeditiously as possible and within the requirements established in the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), C.R.S. 24-72-201 et seq.
The following procedure ensures that any member of the public will be provided reasonable access to public records covered under CORA.
Any member of the public will have reasonable access to all county public records. Reasonable access is defined as allowing a person requesting public information to use available county resources to review or obtain copies of public records. In order to maintain the integrity of public records, or the effective functioning of a county office or department, and for security reasons, certain conditions for reviewing or obtaining copies of records may apply. Record requests will be fulfilled within three working days or, when extenuating circumstances apply, within seven working days as established by CORA. We will notify you when there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow us to respond to your request within three working days.
Requesting Public Records
To request public records contact the Douglas County office or department that is the designated custodian for that specific information. Each office or department can help you with the request and provide information about any applicable fees for obtaining copies of public records. (Refer to list of county offices and departments and contact information). If you need help during your initial contact with Douglas County, please call 303-660-7400 and explain the type of information you are seeking. The County’s Front Desk Receptionist will help you get started.
Describe your request as specifically as possible. If you are uncertain about which records contain the information that you desire, provide a description of the type of information you are searching for and every attempt will be made to locate the relevant records. Your contact information will not be needed unless copies of public records are sent by mail, or if additional information may be needed to fulfill your request. Additionally, it is not required to indicate your purpose for requesting copies of the record(s) if the request can be fulfilled without knowing how the information will be used.
Reviewing Public Records
You may review public documents or request copies of documents available from Douglas County. If you ask to review original documents we may request that you follow procedures to protect the integrity of the public record. You may:
Be supervised by a county employee within the area where the records are stored and/or maintained;
Need to review records in a designated area or schedule for a particular time of day as to not unduly disrupt the day-to-day activities of that specific office or department;
Be required to submit the request in writing if the records custodian believes it is reasonable and appropriate based on the specific and unique circumstances of the request or will help us to better serve your needs for identifying the records you are requesting.
Questions or problems arising from a request for public records should be referred to the Elected Official, County Administrator or Department Director who is the ‘custodian’ of the specific record(s). See Contact Information below for a list of records custodians.
Please note:
Records that are prohibited from disclosure under CORA or other statute(s) cannot be made available to the public. Douglas County may also hold certain private and /or financial information about individuals that will not be released except upon the approval of that individual.
Fees
Applicable fees for obtaining public records are charged based on the specific office or department procedures and actual costs to provide the requested record(s). Offices or divisions that charge a fee are directed to inform the public up front and on any forms, the fee(s) to be charged. Costs for standard photocopies will not exceed the limit set by CORA (currently $1.25 per page) unless actual costs exceed that amount. Please direct inquiries to the office or department designated as the custodian of the requested record(s). Douglas County seeks to meet public information requests in the most economical fashion possible. Please request an estimate of the cost of your information request if you are requesting a substantial number of copies or research by the custodian.
Contact Information
This list may be helpful when you make your initial contact with Douglas County to request copies of public records. The specific contact listed for each County Office or department is not the legal custodian of the requested document(s) however, the contact person will be able to direct all requests for public records to the appropriate custodian. Keep in mind that not all records are considered ‘public information’ and each office or county department can inform the requestor about any records that are not part of CORA. Each Office may have different statutory requirements regarding their responsibilities as custodians of specific documents. If you are uncertain about how to request public information from a certain office or department, it is recommended that you contact that office or department in advance of your actual request to determine how best to proceed with your request. A great deal of information about Douglas County is available on our web site. This information may help you formulate your information request.
Board of County Commissioners
Requests to the Board of County Commissioners should initially be directed to:
Contact: Dru Campbell
Phone: 303.660.7401
Address: 100 Third Street Castle Rock, CO 80104
Website: www.douglas.co.us/commissioners/
Email: bocc@douglas.co.us (please note that you are making a Records Request in the header of your message)
Business hours: 8:00 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
County Administration
Contact: Olivia Johnson
Phone: 303.660.7401
Address: 100 Third Street Castle Rock, CO 80104
Website: www.douglas.co.us/countyadmin/
Business hours: 8:00 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Custodian of these general records:
- Community Planning and Sustainable Development including the Traffic, Planning, Engineering, Parks & Trails and Building Grounds and Building Divisions
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Media Relations
- Public Works Operations
County Attorney
Contact: County Attorney
Phone: 303.660.7414
Address: 100 Third Street Castle Rock, CO 80104
Email: attorney@douglas.co.us
Website: www.douglas.co.us/countyattorney/
Business hours: 8:30 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Assessor’s Office
Contact: Marian Woodward
Phone: 303.660.7450
Address: 301 Wilcox St, Castle Rock, CO 80104
Email: assessors@douglas.co.us
Website: www.douglas.co.us/assessor
Business hours: 8:00 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Custodian of these general records: Property records, Parcel maps, Taxing Authority information
Clerk & Recorder’s Office
Contact: Melissa Pelletier
Phone: 303.660.7321
Address: 301 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104
Email: mpelleti@douglas.co.us
Website: www.douglas.co.us/clerk/
Business hours: 8:00 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Custodian of these general records: Records are available for the following Divisions: Motor Vehicle, Recording, Elections, and Clerk to the Board.
Coroner’s Office
Contact: Open records request
Phone: 303.814.7150
Address: 4000 Justice Way Castle Rock, CO 80104
Email: coroner@douglas.co.us
Website: www.douglas.co.us/coroner/
Business hours: 8:30 a.m. - to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
Custodian of these general records: Coroner’s reports, autopsy reports
Public Trustee’s Office
Contact: Open records request
Phone: 303.660.7417
Address: 301 Wilcox St, Castle Rock, CO 80104
Email: pubtrust@douglas.co.us
Website: www.douglas.co.us/publictrustee
Business hours: 8:00 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Custodian of these general records: Foreclosures
Sheriff’s Office
Contact: Records Division
Phone: 303.660.7545
Address: 4000 Justice Way Castle Rock, CO 80104
Email: dcso@douglas.co.us
Website: www.dcsheriff.net
Business hours: 8:00 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Custodian of these general records: Criminal justice records, criminal reports, traffic tickets, sex offender lists, etc.
Treasurer’s Office
Contact: Dayle Hammervold
Phone: 303.660.7455
Address: 100 Third Street Castle Rock, CO 80104
Email: dctreasurer@douglas.co.us
Website: www.douglas.co.us/treasurer/
Business hours: 8:00 a.m. - to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Custodian of these general records: Property tax information, taxing authority distribution, investment portfolio, tax lien/treasurer’s deed, etc.