Public Information Office

Open Records Request

In order to facilitate the public’s right of access to, and the review of, government records while protecting the integrity and organization of its records and to prevent disruptions of essential functions, the OBNDD has implemented the following procedures for requests made pursuant to the Open Records Act.

OBNDD is under no legal obligation to respond to requests for records if the requirements listed here, on the official OBNDD Open Records Request Form or the Oklahoma Open Records Act are not followed.

  1. Availability of records

    Oklahoma law specifically identifies the records of a law enforcement agency that are subject to disclosure pursuant to the Open Records Act. See 51 O.S. §24A.8. Requests for law enforcement records not specifically provided for pursuant to subparagraph A of this section may be denied, subject to the provisions of subparagraph B.

    Other records shall be provided to the extent that they are subject to disclosure pursuant to the Open Records Act and are not otherwise exempted from disclosure.

  2. How to request records

    An entity or individual requesting records from OBNDD must utilize and fully complete the OBNDD Open Records Request Form which can be found HERE: OPEN RECORDS ACT REQUEST FORM.

    All requests for OBNDD records must be made by submitting the fully completed form to OBNDD either in person or via US Mail, first class postage prepaid to the following location:

    Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics

    Attn: Open Records Request

    419 N.E. 38th Terrace

    Oklahoma City, OK 73105

    The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics will not accept open record requests via telephone, fax, e-mail or other electronic method. 

  3. Fees for OBNDD records

    OBN may charge a fee for the reasonable, direct costs of record production and, in some instances, may charge a fee for a records search, to the extent that such is authorized by law.  For purposes of calculation of fees, multiple separate “requests” from one person, or entity shall be treated as a single request when the request is made by at least one of the same requestors and the subsequent “request” is received while the requestor’s other requests are pending or within thirty (30) days of fulfilment of a related request. For information concerning the fees charged by OBN, please see the OBN Open Records Fee Request fee Schedule located here: Open Records Request Fee Schedule

    Please narrow your request as much as possible.

    Broad requests that include commonly used search terms and/or requests of information spanning a long period of time can retrieve thousands of documents which must be located and reviewed to ensure compliance with applicable confidentiality and privacy laws prior to release as well as ensuring that such records are subject to disclosure.  Reviewing a large number of documents will slow down the process and contribute to the accrual of additional fees.

  4. Processing of requests

    Requests received by OBNDD will be processed from 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday (except for authorized holidays or other authorized agency closure).

    Due to the sensitive nature of OBN records, all information retrieval will be conducted by OBN personnel to maintain the security, integrity and organization of the records. Requests will be fulfilled in a prompt, reasonable manner as required by law. 

    Within a reasonable time after OBNDD’s receipt of the Open Records Request, you will be contacted using the contact information in the request form and notified that your request is being reviewed.  You will be notified of any applicable fees pursuant to the Oklahoma Open Records Act when an estimate of the costs of the same are reasonably ascertained. Please do not send payment prior to receiving notification of the applicable fees and the amount due.  Costs associated with the request must be paid in full before OBN will initiate action to gather and reproduce the records.  

    While the request is being processed, you may also be contacted by OBNDD using the contact information in the request form if there are any questions about the nature of your request or otherwise in an effort to make sure that you are provided the records that meet your needs. 

    Failure to pay applicable fees or to respond to OBNDD requests for further information or clarification to aid in processing of the request within thirty (30) days of request will lead to your request being closed as abandoned.

  5. Retrieval of records

Once the requested records are ready for retrieval, you will be notified using the contact information on the request form that they are ready for retrieval.  They may then be retrieved by picking them up in person at OBNDD headquarters at the address above during regular office hours.

For further information, or to check the status of a request, please feel free to contact the public information division at (405) 521-2885 or at mwoodward@obn.ok.gov

OPEN RECORDS ACT REQUEST FORM