In accordance with the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), the City of Colorado Springs is happy to assist with requests for the City’s public records. As permitted under Colorado State Law, the City does charge a nominal fee for CORA requests.
Requests should be as detailed as possible including date, type of record, etc. If the document name is unknown, provide brief, but specific description of the document or information requested (note date of issuance and location of the document, if known). A request which is broad, vague, or too voluminous may cause a delay in the time it takes to produce the records.
If the records are available pursuant to C.R.S. 24-72-201 et seq., the records shall be made available for inspection within three working days of receipt of the request. If extenuating circumstances exist, the period may be extended up to an additional seven working days. The requestor will be notified of the extension within the first three days of receipt of the request by the City of Colorado Springs.
Read the City's CORA Policy for more details about requests and procedures
Record Request Types
Please submit open records requests depending on the type of records requested as follows:
Code Violations / Neighborhood Services
Zoning code violations or code enforcement violations
Colorado Springs Police Department
Police Records are criminal justice records that are made, maintained or kept by a criminal justice agency and fall under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA).
- Regular police records such as police reports, traffic accident reports, calls for service, background checks
- Media requests & non-standard records, such as emails
- Contact the Police Department’s Public Information Officer at: pio@coloradosprings.gov
Note: Requests made under this department are subject to a different fee schedule and policies.
Colorado Springs Utilities
Records including water, wastewater, septic systems, gas, electric and environmental concerns
Note: Requests made under this department are subject to a different fee schedule and policies.
Contracting/Procurement
Contracting and procurement records, RFPs, bid tabs, contract amounts
Environmental Assessment Requests or other Multi-Department requests
Please submit the request to the exact department who maintains the records requested. The City is unable to process multi-department requests currently.
Fire Department
For fire code violations, underground storage tanks (USTs), aboveground storage tanks (ASTs), spills/releases of hazardous materials
Note: Requests made under this department are subject to a different fee schedule and policies.
Marriage, Divorce and Birth & Death Certificates
- El Paso County Marriage Certificates
- El Paso County Divorce Records (obtained through the Court that issued the divorce decree)
- El Paso County Birth Certificates and Death Certificates
Planning Department
- Planning department records to include site plans, permits and variances:
- Additional information may be available through Zoning Verification and Compliance Letters:
- Certain planning and public works records, such as plats, development plans, and drainage records may already be available online:
- Land Development Review Search (LDRS) - enter the associated parcel / tax schedule number or enter a keyword
- Information on individual properties including parcel information and zoning designation:
- For records associated with the subdivision:
- Additional information related to permits, Certificates of Occupancy, building permits, building code violations, inspections, plans and construction dates:
Other City Records
For all other requests not listed above:
Request a City Record
*Note: If do not receive an email confirmation of your submittal, please check your SPAM box.
Request by Mail: 30 S. Nevada Ave. Suite 606, MC 660, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Questions? Please call City Communications at (719) 385-5906 or e-mail CommDept@coloradosprings.gov.
Paying for CORA Records
All payments must be paid to Accounts Receivable by cash, check, credit card or money order in the exact amount. Please contact Accounts Receivable to submit your payment. Make checks payable to “City of Colorado Springs.”
In person or by mail:
Accounts Receivable
30 S. Nevada Ave., Suite 203
PO Box 1575, Mail Code 250
Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1575
Phone:
(719) 385-2367
Please do NOT send credit card or personal information over fax, email or the online request form.
About CORA Fees
In accordance with C.R.S. § 24-72-205(5)(a), the City will charge the requestor when a request is made that requires more than two (2) hour of staff time to locate, gather and produce records.
By filing a CORA request, the requester acknowledges that there may be charges associated with their request. The requestor will be informed of the estimated cost, and have an opportunity to withdraw or modify the request, prior to costs being incurred. Requestors must pay final costs before receipt of documents.
If more than two (2) hours of staff time is believed to be necessary to process a records request, the City will attempt to provide an estimated invoice to the requestor prior to final invoice. The City may require payment of a fifty percent (50%) deposit of the estimated invoice prior to compilation of records at the custodian’s discretion. If a fifty percent (50%) deposit is requested, the City will contact the requestor to communicate this requirement and provide further details. At the completion of disclosure, the requestor will be required to pay the final actual cost of retrieval and production in excess of the fifty percent (50%). If the final actual costs of retrieval and production do not exceed the fifty percent (50%) deposit, the City will refund the remaining deposit to the requestor. Final invoices left unpaid for 30 days will result in closure of the CORA request.
Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Photocopies or Printouts per C.R.S §24-72-205(5) | $0.25 per 8 ½” x 11” standard size or actual cost for documents larger than standard size Oversized Maps / Plans - actual cost Photographs - actual cost |
| Research and Retrieval/Compilation of Requested Documents | $30.00 per hour in 15 minute increments |
| Data Manipulation per C.R.S. §24-72-205(3) | Actual cost |
| Off-site Records Retrieval | 50% of actual cost to retrieve the records from off-site storage facility |
| Audiotape, Videotape or Other Magnetic Tape | Actual cost to reproduce |
| On-site Record Inspection | $30.00 per hour for staff time |
| Postage | Actual cost |
Read the City's CORA Policy for more details about requests and procedures