How to Get a Public Record
Asking a town, school district, county or state agency for its records under New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Law, step by step, with a request you can copy.
Checked against its sources October 11, 2026.
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At a Glance
The Right-to-Know Law gives every citizen the right to see and copy the records of New Hampshire’s towns, cities, school districts, counties and state agencies, apart from what the law exempts. Ask the office that keeps the record. It has five business days to answer, looking is free, and copies generally cost only what they cost to make.
- Ask the office that keeps the record, in writing.
- Within 5 business days, it must answer.
What did it say?
- Here are the recordsLook at them for free, or pay only what copies cost to make.
- We need more timeIt must say in writing how long, why, and what it may cost.
- NoIt must say why, in writing. You can take it to Superior Court, or to the Right-to-Know ombudsman once that post is filled.
Step by Step
Work out who keeps the record
Ask the public body or agency that keeps the record: the town or city office, the school district, the county, or the state agency. You have the right to look at its records during its business hours, at its office, and to copy them, unless a law makes them confidential.
The law: RSA 91-A:4, I, RSA 91-A:5
Ask, in writing
Describe what you want clearly enough that it can be found: the law covers a record “reasonably described”. A letter or an email is enough. Keep a copy: a complaint to the ombudsman includes the request.
The office does not have to create a record that does not exist, or put information together in a form it does not already keep. It may suggest narrowing your request so it can answer faster or for less.
A request you can copy
To the [office]:
Under New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Law, RSA 91-A, I am asking to inspect [describe the records, with dates if you know them]. If you will charge for copies, please tell me the cost before making them.
[Your name, and how to reach you]
The law: RSA 91-A:4, IV(a), RSA 91-A:4, VII, RSA 91-A:4, IV(e), RSA 91-A:7-b, I
Wait up to five business days
A record that is ready should be made available right away. If it is not, the office must, within 5 business days of your request, do one of three things:
- let you see it,
- refuse, or
- tell you in writing how long it needs, why, and an estimate of any cost.
The law: RSA 91-A:4, IV(b)
Pay only for copies
Looking at a record is free, and so is having it sent to you without copying. If the office makes copies on its own machine, it can charge what the copies actually cost. Where another law sets a fee for a copy, that fee applies, with nothing added.
For a request covering more than 250 emails or other electronic messages, the law allows a charge per message within a limit it sets, and requires it to be waived in some cases.
The law: RSA 91-A:4, IV(d), RSA 91-A:4, VIII
If the answer is no
A refusal must be in writing, name the specific exemption it relies on, and briefly explain how it applies. To have a refusal reviewed, the law provides two routes, and choosing one closes the other:
- Superior Court. You can file a petition yourself, with or without a lawyer, and the court is to give it priority.
- The Right-to-Know ombudsman. A signed, written complaint with a fee, which the ombudsman may waive. Since July 2025 the ombudsman’s office has been part of the Office of State and Public Sector Labor Relations. On October 12, 2026 its page said the ombudsman post was vacant and that no filing could be acted on until it is filled, while Right-to-Know cases can still be filed in Superior Court. Check the office’s page before you choose this route.
The law: RSA 91-A:4, IV(c), RSA 91-A:7, RSA 91-A:7-a, RSA 91-A:7-b
Who Can Help
The office that keeps the record is the first place to ask how to get it. To understand the law in more depth, the Attorney General publishes a memorandum on the Right-to-Know Law for citizens and public officials alike. It says it is not legal advice, and that anyone with a specific question should consult a lawyer.
The Attorney General’s memorandum
- The New Hampshire Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service refers you to a lawyer who handles your kind of problem, for an administrative fee. Call 603-229-0002, weekdays 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., or ask online.
In the Record
Chapter 91-A: Access to Governmental Records and Meetings
Bills now before the General Court that would change it:
- HB 1587-FN Interim Study
- HB 1746-FN Interim Study
Laws that changed it since 2020, newest first: