A public record refers to any document, information, or data maintained by a government agency or institution that is considered accessible to the public. It encompasses a wide range of materials, including written documents, electronic files, photographs, and audiovisual recordings, that are created or received by government officials in the course of their official duties.

A person seeking access to government records must obtain them from the government office that created or received the records.

Public bodies have the authority to establish fees for providing access to public records, but they must do so in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Requesters should be aware of any fee schedules or guidelines provided by the public body and may have the right to challenge fees that they believe are excessive or unjustified,

The Custodian will acknowledge the request within three (3) business days, and will strive to respond no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after receiving the request. If the Custodian determines that a written request is excessively burdensome or broad, an additional reasonable period of time shall be allowed to comply with the request. The Custodian shall provide written notification to the requester within fifteen (15) calendar days of the receipt of the request that additional time will be needed.

Redaction is the act of removing text or images from any publication.

• “Exempt and nonexempt [information] ... shall be separated by the custodian prior to inspection, and the nonexempt information shall be made available for inspection.” NMSA 1978, § 14-2-9A
• The presence of confidential information does not make a document exempt from production
• Redactions must be made narrowly
• Blanket denials are not permitted, in most cases