Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Public Records Requests

Oregon Public Records Law and Board of Directors Policy

“Every person has a right to inspect any public record of a public body in this state, except as otherwise expressly provided in ORS 192.338, 192.345, and 192.355.” ORS 192.314(1). The Oregon public records law is one of disclosure, not confidentiality.

Additionally, see the PCC Board of Directors Inspection of Public Records Policy.

A public record refers to information that has been recorded and/or filed by a public agency like PCC. A public records request involves these documents being requested by members of the outside community or employees who are representing themselves as a community member. Any College business between departments or other agencies as part of normal operations are exempt and do not need to go through this webpage.

Accessing PCC’s Public Information

Submit a request using our records request form. You will receive a confirmation email that summarizes your request.

Make a public records request

Other ways to submit a request:

• Mail a written request to:
  • Portland Community College
    Communications & Public Relations, SYL CC 234E
    P.O. Box 19000, Portland, OR 97280-0990
    Attn: Public Records

Call 971-722-8865 with questions not answered here.

Fees

When a request is made, PCC staff will base any cost on state of Oregon guidelines. Staff will calculate the cost by determining:

1. The time it takes for staff to locate and retrieve the files and/or documents;
2. Multiplying the time it takes to retrieve the records by the hourly salary of the staff involved.

Once the cost is established we will share that information with you. Payment in advance of receiving your records is required. Please, use the online payment page to pay for the request. Or, you can mail your payment to: Portland Community College, PO Box 19000, Attn:  AP DC-2, Portland, OR  97280.

Once we receive the payment we’ll start the work and provide the documents as quickly as we can. If you are unable to pay the fee or think the cost is excessive, let us know and provide a reason, and we can see what we can do to reduce the cost. (If the cost ends up not being as high as estimated, the requester will receive a refund of the difference.)

Rights

• Prompt access to information that is not confidential or otherwise protected. According to the law, the following types of records are potentially exempt from disclosure: student records, medical records, sealed records, personal records, etc. See a full list of public records exemptions.
• Receive treatment equal to all other requestors, including accommodation in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
• Receive a written itemized statement of estimated charges, when charges exceed $25, in advance of work being started and the opportunity to modify the request in response to the itemized statement.
• A waiver or reduction of charges if the college determines that access to the information primarily benefits the public good (e.g.,  student newspaper request).

For more information about the Oregon Public Records Law or the rights of requestors, you may wish to refer to the Attorney General’s Public Information Handbook.

Frequently Asked Questions