How to File a Georgia Open Records Request with Macon-Bibb

You have a legal right to most of what Macon-Bibb County writes down — a contract, a department email, a spending report, an inspection file, a police report. Georgia's Open Records Act puts that right in your hands, and the county takes requests through an online portal. Here's how to use it.

The right, in plain terms

The Georgia Open Records Act says government records are open to the public. A few things worth knowing up front:

• Anyone can ask. You don't have to be a lawyer, a reporter, or even explain why you want it.
• The clock is short. The county has to respond within three business days of getting your request. That doesn't always mean the documents arrive in three days — it means they must either produce what's readily available or give you a description of the records and a timeline for when they're coming.
• "No" has to come with a reason. If a record is exempt — some are, like active investigations or certain personal data — the county has to point to the specific law that lets it withhold. It can't just ignore you.

Send it to the office that holds the record

This is where requests stall: going to the wrong custodian. Macon-Bibb splits open records across a few offices.

• General county government records — contracts, budgets, department emails, inspection files. Use the county's JustFOIA open-records portal, run by the Clerk of Commission's office (700 Poplar Street, 478-803-0365).
• Court and property records — case files, deeds, filings. Those sit with the Clerk of Superior Court, but note that the Open Records Act does not reach the judicial branch: case files are opened under the courts' own rules rather than this law, and deeds and property filings are public under separate recording statutes — so the three-day clock and the fee caps described here don't apply to them. Ask the clerk directly for their process. (601 Mulberry Street, 478-621-6527).
• Sheriff's Office and 911 records — incident reports, jail records, dispatch. The Sheriff's Office runs its own separate JustFOIA portal (111 Third Street, 478-310-4360).
• Records tied to a specific function often live with that officer — tax records with the Tax Commissioner, voting records with the Board of Elections. When in doubt, ask which office is the custodian.

Write a request that actually works

A vague request gets a vague answer, or a big bill. A good one is specific:

• Say who you are and how to reach you. A name and an email is enough.
• Name the record as tightly as you can. "All emails between the Public Works director and [a named vendor] from January 1 to March 31, 2026" beats "everything about Public Works." Dates, names, a date range, locations, and case or permit numbers all narrow the search.
• Ask for the format you want — PDFs by email, or a time to inspect the files in person.
• You don't owe them a reason. Give context if it helps them find the record, but you're not required to justify the request.

What it can cost, and how to keep it low

Records aren't always free, but Georgia law caps how the county can charge:

• The first 15 minutes of staff time is free. After that, the county can charge for search and retrieval, but there's a ceiling: no more than the prorated hourly rate of the lowest-paid full-time employee who has the skill and training to do the job.
• Copies are capped at $0.10 a page, or the actual cost for other formats. (If someone quotes you 25 cents a page, that's the old pre-2012 figure.)
• An estimate over $25 isn't a favor — it's required. If the county is going to charge more than $25, it has to tell you and give you a cost estimate before running up the bill. Above $500, it can ask you to pay in advance.
• Ask to inspect the records in person instead of getting copies, which sidesteps per-page fees entirely.

If they blow the deadline or say no

If three business days pass with no response on a county-government record, follow up in writing and cite the Act. (Court records are the exception noted above — they don't run on this clock.) If you're denied and the exemption they name doesn't sound right, Georgia's Attorney General runs an open-government mediation program, and the law lets you take a wrongful denial to court. Most of the time it never gets that far — a specific, well-aimed request usually just gets answered.

Where to go next

• What does Macon-Bibb County government do? — work out which office actually holds the record you want.
• Commission — agendas, votes, and meeting records that are often already posted, no request needed.
• Ask Mulberry — not sure who the custodian is? Describe the record and it will help you aim the request.

Macon-Bibb County — Open Records (maconbibb.us) — the county takes open-records requests through the JustFOIA portal (Clerk of Commission, 700 Poplar Street, 478-803-0365), with separate custodians for Superior Court records (Clerk of Superior Court, 601 Mulberry Street, 478-621-6527) and Sheriff's Office / E911 records (a separate Sheriff's JustFOIA portal, 111 Third Street, 478-310-4360).

Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71 — records are open to any member of the public; an agency must respond within a reasonable time not to exceed three business days; the first quarter hour of search and retrieval is free, the search fee is based on the lowest-paid qualified employee's rate, and copy charges are capped at about $0.10 per page or actual cost; a denial must cite the specific legal authority for withholding.

Georgia Attorney General — Open Government — the state's open-government resources and mediation program for records disputes.

Last reviewed August 2026. Office contacts and portal links can change — confirm on the county's Open Records page.