Public Records
The Union County Health Department adheres to Ohio’s Public Record Laws. In accordance with the Ohio Revised Code section 149.43, the Union County Health Department will make public records available for inspection upon request within a reasonable time period. If copies of public records are requested, they will be produced at cost within a reasonable time period. Should it be determined that a record is exempted under a state or federal statute, an explanation with cited state or federal exemptions listed will be provided to the requester.
To request a public record, please contact the Union County Health Department’s Public Records Officer at 937.642.2053 or email at contact@uchd.net
Requests can be made in person, by phone, by email, or by mail. There is no specific language required when making a public records request. The requester is not required to provide their name or reason for the request. The request does not have to be made in writing. Our staff may put the request in writing and/or ask for voluntary disclosure of the intended use of the information requested should it benefit the requester by enhancing the ability of the public office to identify, locate, or deliver the public records sought by the requester. Disclosing intent is not mandatory.
When making a public records request, please include a date range and what specific records are being requested. Requests for any and all records or information containing reference to a particular topic or subject may be considered overly broad under Ohio Public Records Law and can be denied.
Please note, that public offices are not obligated under Ohio Public Records Laws to fulfill requests for specific pieces of information that may or may not be contained in a record kept by the public office. Nor are public offices obligated to create records if they do not currently exist. However, our office will work with a requester to identify how we maintain records and if a record series may contain the requested information.
Inspection
Inspection is permitted during the hours of 9 AM and 4 PM.
Not all records are available for inspection upon demand. Records must often be reviewed and non-public information redacted before an inspection can be permitted. Records will be made available for inspection within a reasonable period of time following the request.
The amount of time will depend upon the number of records requested, the location of the records, the medium in which the records are stored, the need for legal review, and the need to redact non-public information.
Some records are exempt from disclosure or contain information that should be redacted. Section 149.43 of the Ohio Revised Code contains definitions of those records that are exempt from the Public Records Act. Inspection will be only in the presence of Union County Health Department personnel.
Copies
The Union County Health Department will provide copies of records at cost.
Not all records are available for copying upon demand. Records must often be reviewed and non-public information redacted before copying will be permitted. Redaction means obscuring or deleting any information that is exempt from the duty to permit public inspection or copying from an item that otherwise meets the definition of a record, as defined in Section 149.011 of the Ohio Revised Code.
If information has been redacted the requester will be able to determine all of the places where information was redacted.
Copies will be provided within a reasonable period of time following the request. The amount of time will depend upon the number of records requested, the location of the records, the medium in which the records are stored, the need for legal review, and the need to redact non-public information. Costs must be paid in advance before copies will be provided.
The person desiring the record may choose the method of duplication, as long as the method is a normal part of the operation of the office.
If a copy is made by mail, the person requesting the copy must receive it in a “reasonable time”. Persons requesting that records be returned by mail shall pay for the postage and other supplies in advance. Copies delivered via US Mail, or by any other means will be charged at cost, in advance.
Payment
The requester shall be required to pay in advance for the cost of the copy format that is requested, as follows:
- Up to and including twenty paper copies: Free
- More than twenty paper copies: 5 cents per page
- Email Copies: Free
- Burn to CD: Actual Cost of CD
- Standard Mail: Actual Cost of postage & supplies
- Priority Mail: Actual Cost of postage & supplies
- Next Day Air: Actual Cost of postage & supplies
