Public Records Requests

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has records related to many felony and misdemeanor criminal matters within the County. Please read below for more information on our public records process and other local resources for related records.

How Do I Make a Public Records Request?

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If you are a victim of a crime, a defendant or a witness in a case and are requesting records without your personal information redacted or if you are a defendant and you are seeking records associated with a charge that has been expunged, please consider completing a Notarized Release Form (PDF). This form can be downloaded and submitted separately. This form must be signed and notarized.
**If you need to have the Notarized Release Form as a Word Doc, please email the Public Records team.

How Long Will My Public Records Request Take to Process?
Public Records Requests are promptly processed in the order they are received. The amount of time to completely process your request depends upon the number of requests pending, the location of the records, the volume of material encompassed in the request, the nature of the material being requested and the amount of redaction, if any, that is necessary.

Providing a detailed description of the records you are seeking will assist us in identifying and locating the records (i.e. the name(s), date of birth, case number or report number relating to the records you are seeking). Public records requests for emails to/from entities outside MCAO should include the full and complete email address(es) in order to be processed.

Please be aware, if you are requesting homicide/capital case records, the time to complete your request may be significantly longer. These cases are often voluminous, and will be completed/distributed on a rolling disclosure basis. Identifying specific materials from these cases will help expedite your request.

How Much Will My Public Records Request Cost?
The cost of your Public Records Request is determined upon whether your request is commercial or noncommercial.

Costs for Noncommercial Requests

  • $0.25 per page for printed materials.
  • $1 per CD-ROM. We can no longer accept trade-in CD-ROMs.
  • $8 per thumb drive.
  • No charge for Maricopa County electronic file transfer. (“Dropbox”)
  • No charge if requesters wish to make an appointment to come into the Office and inspect the materials.
  • Actual hourly cost for scanning or copying records. Public bodies may also charge a copying fee per A.R.S. § 39-121.01(D).

Costs for Commercial Requests

  • A portion of the cost to MCAO for obtaining the original or copies of the documents, printouts or photographs to be produced (averages approximately $25.00 per hour);
  • A reasonable fee for the cost of time, materials, equipment and personnel in making the copies, and; the value of the reproduction on the commercial market as best determined by MCAO. (A.R.S. § 39-121.03A)

Definition of “Commercial Purpose”
The use of a public record for the purpose of sale or resale, or for the purpose of producing a document containing all or part of the copy, printout or photocopy for sale; or the obtaining of names and addresses from public records for the purpose of solicitation or the sale of names and addresses to another for the purpose of solicitation; or for any purpose in which the purchaser can reasonably anticipate the receipt of monetary gain from the direct or indirect use of the public record. (A.R.S. § 39-121.03D)

Please note that Arizona law provides financial penalties for failing to disclose that a request is made for a commercial purpose, knowingly allowing information obtained via a noncommercial request to be used for a commercial purpose or allowing information obtained for one commercial purpose to be used for a another commercial purpose (A.R.S. § 39-121.03C).

What Method of Payment May I Use?
Payment for all Public Records is required before the materials are released. The MCAO accepts:

  • Business and personal checks made payable to the “Maricopa County Attorney’s Office”
  • Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express)
  • Money orders and cashier’s checks made payable to the “Maricopa County Attorney’s Office&lrquo;

Please Note
If paying by credit card, Maricopa County uses Fidelity Information Services (FIS) to provide card processing services. FIS will assess a convenience fee at the time of payment. Maricopa County does not retain any portion of the convenience fee. The amount of the convenience fee will be made known to you prior to your final authorization of the card payment transaction.

How Are Public Records Delivered?
The Custodian of Records will notify requesters when their records are ready for distribution, at which point requesters can select a format (electronic or paper) and delivery method.

Delivery Options

  • Materials can be mailed via USPS (no charge).
  • Materials may be picked up in person between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the “Law Enforcement” window on the west side of:
    225 West Madison Street
    Phoenix, AZ 85003; or
  • Materials may be delivered electronically via Maricopa County electronic file transfer (“Dropbox”). Requesters must provide a valid email address.
  • Materials may be delivered via a commercial delivery service (Federal Express, UPS, etc.) using the requester’s account number.

Why Are Some Records Redacted?
By law, the following types of information are generally redacted or withheld:

  • All identifying and locating information of the victim(s) or witnesses pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 13-4434 and 39-123.01.
  • Any other record or information made confidential by Arizona law.
  • Any record which has been sealed by court order.
  • Competency reports pursuant to A.R.S. § 13-4508.
  • Criminal history records pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1750.
  • Grand jury transcripts pursuant to A.R.S. § 13-2812.
  • Juvenile court records which are not open to the public pursuant to A.R.S. § 8-208.

Information deemed confidential by statute is not subject to disclosure through a Public Records Request. Berry v. State, 145 Ariz. 12, 13, 699 P.2d 387, 388 (Ct. App. 1985).

Any record that visually depicts a victim or minor witness will be redacted unless the requesting party can establish that the public’s interest in such disclosure outweighs the witness’s or victim’s right to privacy (A.R.S. § 39-121.04A).

Please Note
If you are a victim of a crime, a defendant or a witness in a case and are requesting records without your information redacted, please complete a Notarized Release Form (PDF). If you need to have the Notarized Release Form as a Word Doc, please email the Public Records team.

Will the Custodian Create an Index of Records Redacted or Withheld?
MCAO does not create an index of redactions or documents withheld, since it is not required by law (A.R.S. §§ 39-121.01 (D) and 41-1001).

Important Information
Service of Process
The Custodian of Records is authorized to accept Service on behalf of the Office. Process servers should visit the “Law Enforcement” window on the west side of 225 W. Madison where the Custodian of Records or a designate can accept service. This window is staffed from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. Closed on most major holidays.

Trial Exhibits
When a trial in Maricopa County Superior Court ends, the exhibits are kept by the Clerk of the Superior Court until the end of the mandated retention period. Learn more about Access to Superior Court Exhibits and Evidence (PDF).

Case Filings & Minute Entries
These publicly available websites provide free information and materials related to certain Superior and Justice Court matters. You may wish to check these websites before submitting a Public Records Request for Maricopa County case information.

Where to find Records

You may request a Letter of Disposition from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office by downloading and completing the form as directed. The Custodian of Records does not prepare Letters of Disposition.

Other frequently requested records, typically not available through the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, may be found here:

Arizona Ombudsman Public Records Overview
View an Overview of Arizona Public Records Law.

Contact Us
If you have any questions, or would like to check the status of your Public Records Request, please contact the Public Records Team:

Maricopa County Attorney’s Office
Civil Division
Appeals, Election Law, Public Records and Tax Practice Group
225 W. Madison St., Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Custodian of Records, D. MacKenzie
602-506-1974 and mcaocor@mcao.maricopa.gov

Submit an online Public Records Request