Under the Inspection of Public Records Act, every person has the right to inspect public records of the Board of County Commissioners of Sierra County, which includes the records of the Office of the County Manager. The Act also makes compliance with requests to inspect public records an integral part of the routine duties of the officers and employees of Sierra County.

A person desiring to inspect public records may submit a request to the records custodian orally or in writing. However, the procedures and penalties prescribed by the Act only apply to written requests. The request must describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable the records custodian to identify and locate the requested records.

The records custodian must permit inspection immediately or as soon as practicable, no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian receives the inspection request. If inspection is not permitted within three (3) business days, the person making the request will receive a written response explaining when the records will be available for inspection or when the public body will respond to the request. If any of the records sought are not available for public inspection, the person making the request is entitled to a written response from the records custodian explaining the reasons inspection has been denied. The written denial shall be delivered or mailed within fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian received the request for inspection.

Procedures for Requesting Copies and Fees. If a person requesting inspection would like a copy of a public record, a reasonable fee may be charged. The fees for documents are set forth in the attached resolution. The records custodian may request that applicable fees for copying public records be paid in advance, before the copies are made. A receipt indicating that the fees have been paid for making copies of public records will be provided upon request to the persons requesting the copies.