Iowa Code Title I. State Sovereignty and Management [Chs. 1-38D] § 8A.106. Public records

1. The records of the department, except personal information in an employee's file if the publication of such information would serve no proper public purpose, shall be public records and shall be open to public inspection, subject to reasonable rules as to the time and manner of inspection which may be prescribed by the director. However, the department shall not be required to release financial information, business, or product plans which if released would give advantage to competitors and serve no public purpose, relating to commercial operations conducted or intended to be conducted by the department.

2. The state agency that is the lawful custodian of a public record shall be responsible for determining whether a record is required by federal or state statute to be confidential. The transmission of a record by a state agency by use of electronic means established, maintained, or managed by the department shall not constitute a transfer of the legal custody of the record from the individual state agency to the department or to any other person or entity.

3. The department shall not have authority to determine whether an individual state agency should automate records of which the individual state agency is the lawful custodian. However, the department may encourage state agencies to implement electronic access to public records.

4. A state agency shall not limit access to a record by requiring a citizen to receive the record electronically as the only means of providing the record. A person shall have the right to examine and copy a printed form of a public record as provided in section 22.2, unless the public record is confidential.