Public Records

Tennessee Public Records Act 

City of Friendsville Policy

The Tennessee Public Records Act (“TPRA”) grants Tennessee citizens the right to inspect and receive copies of public records maintained by state, county, and municipal governmental entities. “Public records” are defined as:

“All documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, microfilms, electronic data processing files and output, films, sound recordings, or other material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any governmental entity.”
Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(a)(1)(A)(i).

The City of Friendsville adopted its Public Records Policy in June 2017 to ensure compliance with the TPRA and to provide a clear and consistent process for responding to public records requests.

Submitting a Public Records Request

All public records requests for inspection or copies of records, including requests related to city-wide meetings, must be submitted in writing and directed to:

records@friendsvilletn.gov

Submitting requests through this email address ensures that requests are properly routed to the appropriate Records Custodian and processed promptly and in accordance with Tennessee law.

Requests must include sufficient detail to identify the records being requested and must be accompanied by proof of Tennessee citizenship, as required by the TPRA.

Proof of Tennessee Citizenship

Pursuant to Tennessee law, access to public records is limited to citizens of the State of Tennessee. Acceptable proof of Tennessee citizenship may include, but is not limited to, a valid Tennessee driver’s license or other government-issued identification showing Tennessee residency.

Failure to provide proof of Tennessee citizenship will result in the denial of the public records request.


Public Records

Records Request

P.O. Box 56

Friendsville, TN 37737

Phone: 865-995-2831

Email: records@friendsvilletn.gov

Records Request Form

Charges

  •  $0.15 per page for letters and legal-size black and white copies
  • $0.50 per page for letter and legal-size, color copies.
  • There is no charge to view records.

Labor

If staff time exceeds the labor threshold of one (1) hour to produce the requested material, the requester is subject to being charged the hourly wage of the employee assisting with the record request beyond the first hour.

An appointment for records is required to avoid disrupting the Public Record Request Coordinator 's work schedule. The allotted time for inspection is during the city hall's regular business hours.

If you need more information or have questions about open records requests, contact the Public Record Request Coordinator(s) at 865-995-2831.