Open records requests in Texas

How the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) works

Texas's Public Information Act (Tex. Gov't Code Chapter 552) is one of the most widely used and extensively interpreted open records statutes in the country. Any person may request information collected or maintained by state agencies, state universities, counties, cities, special districts, and other governmental bodies. Agencies must respond within 10 business days of receiving a written request. Texas's most distinctive procedural feature: if an agency believes information should be withheld, it must submit the request to the Texas Attorney General within that 10-day window for a binding open records ruling.

This procedure results in thousands of AG opinions each year, making the Texas AG's office the most prolific issuer of public records rulings in the nation. Fees are regulated by the AG's office. Common exemptions include attorney-client privileged materials, personal privacy information, trade secrets, and certain law enforcement records. Courts may award attorney's fees to prevailing requesters. Texas's PIA is widely regarded as a model for balancing accessibility with procedural rigor.