Changes To City Of Austin’s Public Information Request Process

The process for requesting public records from the City of Austin will change from next month in response to the State’s adoption of Senate Bill 944.
 
The Texas Legislature amended the Public Information Act to specify exactly how members of the public may submit a Public Information Request to a governmental agency.
 
To comply with the law, beginning September 1, 2019, all emailed public information requests, including requests for the Austin Police Department, must be sent to public.information@austintexas.gov.
 
Any requests emailed to the address previously associated with APD records requests – management.records@austintexas.gov – will be deemed not received.

Beginning August 15, 2019, through August 31, 2019, anyone emailing this address will receive an auto-reply message informing them of the changes and providing the new request information. On September 1, 2019, that email inbox will be closed.
 
Additionally, from Sept. 1, 2019, requests sent via fax will no longer be accepted.
 
There remain a number of ways by which a member of the public may request information, including: 

1. Electronically by using the City of Austin Public Information Request Portal
2. Sending an email to public.information@austintexas.gov
3. Hand delivery to Austin Police Department Headquarters or to City Hall, 4^th floor
4. By mail to Austin Police Department Central Records/Open Records, PO Box 689001, Austin, Texas, 78768-9001