The Government Records Access and Management Act (Utah Code Title 63G, Chapter 2) is Utah's public-records law. It presumes government records are public unless a specific exemption makes them private, controlled, or protected.

How long does a city have to respond to a GRAMA request?

Generally 10 business days (Utah Code 63G-2-204). A requester who shows an expedited need — for example a media deadline or public-interest urgency — can ask for a 5-business-day response.

Does it cost money to request records?

An agency may charge reasonable fees for the actual cost of duplicating or compiling records (63G-2-203). You can ask for a fee waiver when releasing the record primarily benefits the public rather than your private interest.

What records can a city withhold?

Records specifically classified as private (63G-2-302), controlled (303), or protected (305) — for example certain personnel, medical, security, or draft records. Most spending, contracts, salaries, and meeting materials are public by default.

What if my request is denied?

You can appeal to the agency's chief administrative officer, then to the Utah State Records Committee (63G-2-403), and ultimately to district court.

Where can I see Utah city spending and salaries without filing anything?

At govtransparencyproject.com — 32 Utah cities' spending, vendors, salaries, and council meetings are already indexed with the source document on every figure.

Your right to know: how to access Utah city records, spending, and salaries

In Utah, the default is openness. Government records are presumed public unless a specific law makes them private — which means most of what your city does, from the checks it cuts to the salaries it pays, is yours to see. The hard part has never been the law. It's that the records sit in scattered portals, PDFs, and meeting packets. This project pulls them into one place for 32 Utah cities, with more than $55 billion in spending indexed and every figure linked back to its source document.

The two pillars of Utah transparency

- Transparent Utah — the state's public finance website, where every local government must report expenditures, revenue, and employee compensation. It's the source behind the spending and salary numbers here. - GRAMA — the Government Records Access and Management Act, your legal right to request records that aren't already posted: contracts, invoices, emails about public business, meeting materials, and more.

What you can already see, without asking

For each city, the portal puts four things one click away, each linked to its source PDF:

- Spending — the check register and departmental expenditures, year by year. - Vendors — who the city pays, and how much, ranked by total. - Salaries — annual public employee compensation. - Council meetings — agendas, packets, and minutes.

Start at the statewide index and open any city — for example Ogden, Sandy, or Layton.

How GRAMA actually works

When something isn't posted, GRAMA is how you get it. The mechanics are simple and worth knowing:

- Presumption of openness. Records are public unless classified otherwise (Utah Code 63G-2-201). - Deadlines. A government entity generally must respond within 10 business days (63G-2-204). If you show an expedited need — a news deadline, or a benefit to the public — you can request a 5-business-day response. - Fees. An agency may charge the reasonable cost of duplicating or compiling the records (63G-2-203). You can request a fee waiver when the release primarily serves the public interest rather than your own. - Exemptions. A narrow set of records is withheld: private (63G-2-302), controlled (303), and protected (305) — personnel files, medical records, certain security and draft materials. Spending, contracts, salaries, and meeting materials are public by default. - Appeals. A denial isn't the end: appeal to the entity's chief administrative officer, then the Utah State Records Committee (63G-2-403), and ultimately district court.

Writing a request

A GRAMA request can be a few sentences: identify yourself, describe the records as specifically as you can (a date range, a vendor, a department), state the format you want, and — if applicable — ask for expedited handling and a fee waiver with a one-line reason. Our GRAMA how-to walks through it and lists three records worth asking for.

Frequently asked questions

What is GRAMA? Utah's public-records law (Title 63G, Chapter 2). Records are presumed public unless specifically exempt.

How fast must a city respond? Generally 10 business days; 5 if you show an expedited need (63G-2-204).

Does it cost anything? An agency may charge reasonable duplication/compilation costs; fee waivers are available when release benefits the public (63G-2-203).

What can be withheld? Only records classified private, controlled, or protected (63G-2-302/303/305). Most spending, salaries, and meeting materials are public.

What if I'm denied? Appeal to the chief administrative officer, then the State Records Committee (63G-2-403), then district court.

Transparency isn't a favor a city grants. In Utah, it's your right to know — and the records are already public. This just makes them findable.