Louisiana Public Records Act – Document Production as Leverage
La. R.S. §44:1 et seq. is one of the strongest public records statutes in the U.S. Any 'public body' (including the City of New Orleans, parking enforcement contractors performing public functions, and the Causeway Commission) must produce records within three business days. Failure to respond entitles the requestor to attorney's fees and civil penalties of up to $100/day. Filing a public records request for the citation file, officer's notes, calibration logs, and signage installation records often results in the agency dismissing rather than producing.
Legal basis
La. R.S. §44:1 et seq.; La. R.S. §44:35 (penalties for non-compliance); La. Const. Art. XII §3
Sample appeal wording
Office of Public Records Requests City of New Orleans 1300 Perdido Street, Suite 4E03 New Orleans, LA 70112 [email: opr@nola.gov] Re: Public Records Request – Citation [CITATION_NUMBER] Pursuant to La. R.S. §44:1 et seq. and Article XII §3 of the Louisiana Constitution, I request inspection and copies of the following records relating to citation [CITATION_NUMBER] issued [DATE] at [LOCATION]: 1. Front and back of the original citation (paper or electronic); 2. Officer's daily activity log for [DATE]; 3. Officer training records and certification status as of [DATE]; 4. Maintenance and installation log for any sign(s) governing [LOCATION] for the prior 24 months; 5. Any photographs, body-camera footage, or video associated with the citation; 6. Calibration records for any handheld device used (radar, LIDAR, license plate reader). Under La. R.S. §44:32–33, the custodian must respond within three business days. If any portion is withheld, please cite the statutory exemption per record. Failure to respond may trigger penalties under La. R.S. §44:35, including civil penalties of $100/day and attorney's fees. [NAME] | [ADDRESS] | [EMAIL] | [DATE]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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- La. R.S. §44:1, 44:32, 44:33, 44:35
- La. Const. Art. XII §3
- City of New Orleans Office of Public Records Requests