OPIR fulfills public information requests for information that is prepared, owned, used, or retained by a public agency (such as documents, reports, licenses, videos, etc). While OPIR provides information already maintained or recorded by an agency, OPIR cannot and does not answer questions for agencies. Questions for agencies are best directed to them.

The Office of Public Information Requests (OPIR) helps process information requests for agencies reporting to the Governor. The full list of agencies can be found here. 

ALL requests for public information must be made at: https://mt-pir.arkcase.us/pir/portal/reading-room [mt-pir.arkcase.us].

The online request information must be completed in its entirety. You will be required to provide your full name, business organization, if applicable, physical address, contact phone, email address, along with a description of the requested document or record, and purpose /use of the information/record.

The request form also requires you to select the agency or department you are requesting the documents or records. You may choose more than one agency, Be advised that choosing multiple agencies results in a longer response time to fulfill the request. With your requester provide specific information that may help the agency identify the requested records.

For example, you should include a date or date ranges, the title of a document, author of the document, recipient, subject matter, employee name and/or email address.  If you are requesting state contracts or procurement records, please include the request for proposal (RFP) number or the state contract number of the information you seek. See below for some tips on how to be as precise as possible with your request.

No. Anonymous requests will not be accepted. If you file an anonymous request, you will not receive a response or a request from the office to provide further information.

Yes. A successful records request submission will receive an automated email acknowledging receipt of your request. The date you receive this email is considered the date of acknowledgement, and any response deadlines will be computed using this date. 

A preliminary search will be performed utilizing the information you have provided. If the request is a single, specific, clearly identifiable, and readily available document that will take less than 30 minutes of staff time to identify, gather and provide the information, the request will be fulfilled within five days at no cost to the requestor. I

f the search results in a large number of potentially responsive documents, the Office of Public Information Requests (OPIR) will contact you and ask you to refine your or clarify your request. If you do not respond to this inquiry from OPIR within 30 days, your request will be considered automatically closed and no further action will be taken.

If your request does not need refining or clarifying, you will receive an invoice for estimated cost of compiling the information and the staff time of identifying, gathering and reviewing the responsive information. If you wish to proceed without refining your request, you will receive an invoice for estimated cost of compiling the information and the staff time of identifying, gathering and reviewing the responsive information. Payment of these fees must be made before any further work is performed to respond to your request. If payment is not received within 30 days of the invoice, the request will be considered automatically closed for nonpayment and no further action will be taken (please see below Payment section regarding action taken when payment is not made). Inquiries and invoices from OPIR will be sent to the email you provide on the request form through the ArkCase platform. Please monitor your email for these outreaches from the office.

If your request is closed for failure to timely respond to the inquiry or failure to pay the invoice, you will be required to submit a new records information request.

If your request is for a single, specific, clearly identifiable, and readily-available document, and will take less than 30 minutes of staff time to identify, gather and provided the information, the request will be fulfilled within five days at no cost to the requestor. If your request is more complex, the Office of Public Information has from 90 days and up to six months to acquire, review and provide relevant information. We respond to requests according to the order of receipt. In instances involving misdirected requests that are re-routed, the response time will commence on the date that the request is received in the Office of Public Information Records.

Staff will complete the identifying and gathering of responsive information and forward the request to legal counsel for review if the information you requested related to confidential information. If the information does require legal review or if the time involved gathering and identifying information exceeds the previously paid estimated invoice, you will receive a second invoice for the additional time involved and all work will cease on your request until payment is made. If the information does not require further legal review, the information will be provided within 90 days.

The Office of Public Information Requests will notify you in writing that the request cannot be fulfilled within 90 days, explaining why it cannot be filled within 90 days. In these instances, the agency has up to six months to provide the requested information.

Invoices from the Office of Public Information Requests will be sent to the email you provide on your request form, so please monitor your email for these outreaches from the office.

Payment made be made online through ArkCase with a debit or credit card.  A link to online payment is included with the invoice.

Payment can be made by check. Checks are to be made payable to Department of Administration with your case number identified that was assigned at the filing of your request clearly noted on the check, include a copy of the invoice. Payment should be mailed to:

Department of Administration
Office of Finance and Budget
ATTN: OPIR
P.O. Box 200107
Helena, MT 59620

For payments made by check, the check must clear your financial institution before documents will be released.

If payment is not received within 30 days of the invoice, estimated or final, your case will be closed, and no further action will be taken. If you wish to obtain the information, you will need to submit a new request.