CAP / Know Your Rights / Open Records

How do I request public records in Kentucky?

Kentucky residents have a statutory right to inspect nonexempt public records.

Reviewed: August 31, 2026Jurisdiction: Kentucky
Short answer

Ask the agency's records custodian for identifiable existing records.

KRS 61.872 allows Kentucky residents to inspect public records unless an exemption applies. Written requests may be delivered by several methods, and KRS 61.880 generally gives the agency five days—excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays—to determine whether it will comply and notify the requester in writing.

Ask for records, not explanations.Request emails, contracts, invoices, policies, minutes, reports, logs, or other identifiable records.
Keep proof you sent it.If the request is denied or ignored, your original request and delivery proof matter.
A denial should cite authority.The agency should identify the statutory exception relied upon and explain its application.

Primary sources