Government Data Practices Act Discovery Demand (Minn. Stat. Ch. 13)
Minn. Stat. Ch. 13 (Government Data Practices Act) grants every person the right to obtain government-held data. For parking citations, you can demand: (1) the original officer/agent's notes; (2) photographs taken; (3) sign-installation and maintenance logs; (4) meter calibration records; (5) sweeper route logs; (6) snow emergency declaration records. The City must respond promptly. If the City cannot produce the requested records, the inability often defeats the citation. This 'paper sword' technique converts an ordinary appeal into a documentation challenge the City frequently cannot meet.
Legal basis
Minn. Stat. §§13.03, 13.04 (Government Data Practices Act)
Sample appeal wording
[DATE] Responsible Authority City of Minneapolis Public Works / Parking Services [ADDRESS] RE: GOVERNMENT DATA PRACTICES ACT REQUEST — Citation #[NUMBER] Under Minn. Stat. §13.03, I request access to and copies of the following data related to Citation #[NUMBER] issued [DATE] at [LOCATION]: 1. Issuing officer/agent's notes, log, or activity record for that shift 2. All photographs taken in connection with this citation 3. Sign installation and maintenance log for [STREET/BLOCK] for the prior 24 months 4. Meter calibration records for Meter #[NUMBER] for the prior 12 months 5. [Sweeper route log / Snow emergency declaration log / Permit zone documentation, as applicable] 6. Any complaints or service requests for this location in the prior 12 months I will pay reasonable copy fees up to $[X]. Please confirm receipt and provide an estimated response date within ten business days. [NAME / ADDRESS / EMAIL]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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- Minn. Stat. Ch. 13 (revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13)
- Minnesota Department of Administration — Information Policy Analysis Division