CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Public Records Request
The County of Ventura is committed to transparency and providing easy access to public records pursuant to the California Public Records Act (CPRA). All information contained in a CPRA request, including a requester’s information, is considered public record and may be subject to public inspection, pursuant to Government Code Section 7920.530. The requester is responsible for the applicable fees which are established pursuant to Government Code section 54985, to recover the cost of providing copies of records pursuant to the Public Records Act, including, without limitation, mailing, and shipping. (Ventura County Ordinance No. 4627).
How to file a Public Records Act Request
The County of Ventura has a Public Records Portal that allows anyone to submit a request. Please visit the portal to submit a new request.
Information About CPRA Request Submissions
The County is subject to California laws relating to public records. All information contained in a CPRA request, including a requester’s information, is considered public record, and may be subject to public inspection, pursuant to Government Code Section 7920.530.
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this page.
Public Records
Pursuant to Government Code Section 7920.530, a public record is defined as “any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics.”
Public records requests may be used to obtain “agency records,” which include a wide variety of documents and other materials (including print, photographic, and electronic formats) that were created or obtained by the agency and are, at the time the request is filed, in the agency’s possession and control. In response to requests for public records, the County of Ventura will produce non-exempt public records that are retained by the County of Ventura which are responsive to the request. However, the CPRA excludes certain categories of records from disclosure, and the County will not disclose exempt records, which include, but are not limited to, the following records in response to a request:
- to the extent that the request seeks preliminary drafts, notes, or interagency or intra-agency memoranda that are not retained by the County in the ordinary course of business. (Gov. Code Section 7927.500)
- to the extent that the request seeks records pertaining to pending litigation to which the County of Ventura is a party, or to claims made pursuant to Division 3.6 (commencing with Section 810), until the pending litigation or claim has been finally adjudicated or otherwise settled. (Gov. Code Section 7927.200)
- to the extent that the request seeks records, the disclosure of which is exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law, including, but not limited to, provisions of the Evidence Code relating to privilege. This includes, but is not limited to, documents that are subject to the Attorney-Client, Attorney-Work Product, Physician/Patient, and Official Information privileges, as well as documents that are exempt from disclosure by the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. (Gov. Code Sections 7927.700 and 7927.705)
- to the extent that the request seeks records exempted as being part of the deliberative process of local government. (Gov. Code Sections 7927.705 and 7922.000)
- to the extent that the public interest served by not disclosing the communications clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosing the communication. (Gov. Code Section 7922.000)
Publicly Available Records
Many County records are available online or must be obtained following a specific process. Please visit Records Available Online or Through a Different Process to review these records.
Requesters are strongly encouraged to provide at least some contact information. Providing an email address will allow you to log into the portal to view your request and access records that are uploaded to your request. In addition, this will allow County staff to send you notifications regarding the status of your request.
Requesters contact information is not published on the portal. However, all information sent and received by any County employee is subject to the CPRA; therefore, any communications and data exchanged or provided to the County is a public record and may be released in response to a public records request.
The County strongly recommends including details that will facilitate a focused search:
- Describe the nature of the record being requested and/or provide the name or identification number of the records to the best of your knowledge.
- Provide the time frame or date range you are interested in, for example: Fiscal Year 2021 or from February 2020 to present.
- When possible, identify the departments and/or County employees that may be involved in the subject matter.
- Avoid abbreviations.
- When applicable, provide specific addresses, block numbers (for example, the 500 block of Plaza Blvd), or an intersection.
Pursuant to Ventura County Ordinance No. 4627, the amount reasonably necessary to recover the cost of providing the copy is as follows:
A. A charge per page equal to the current per page copy rate approved by the Board of Supervisors.
B. If the response requires duplication to a medium other than 8 ½ by 11 copy paper, the amount reasonably necessary to recover the cost of that medium and any equipment required for the duplication shall be used in place of the per page cost.
C. All other costs incurred in providing the copy including, without limitation, mailing and shipping
Below is the public access link to research Ventura County Ordinances:
https://www.ventura.org/county-executive-office/clerk-of-the-board/ordinances/
Below is the public access link to research Board of Supervisors’ records:
Our website allows you to search Board of Supervisors’ records from 1873 to present. To find documents pertaining to your inquiry, enter keywords in the “Subject Keyword” search field. The “Meeting Date” search field can also be used to search by date range. The subject column provides general information about each item. To request a document, please provide the meeting date and item number of the document being requested.
The public access link to search Board of Supervisors’ records can be found here https://www.ventura.org/research-cob-public-records/
Resource Management Agency’s Planning Ordinance are available on their webpage at https://vcrma.org/planning-division-ordinances.
The Ventura County Building Code can be accessed by visiting Resource Management Agency’s Building and Safety webpage at https://vcrma.org/building-codes-and-permits.
A hard copy or electronic copy of the California Fire Code can be purchased at shop.iccsafe.org.
Online electronic copy of the California Fire Code is available for free at up.codes. The search function is not available with this free version.
The Ventura County Fire Code is California Fire Code plus local amendments. The local amendments can be found at https://vcfd.org/fire-prevention/ordinances-and-fees.
Vital Records can be accessed through the Clerk and Recorder’s Office at https://recorder.countyofventura.org/county-recorder/county-recorder/vital-records/vital-record-documents/.
