2010 Utah Code
Title 63G - General Government
Chapter 02 - Government Records Access and Management Act
63G-2-305 - Protected records.
63G-2-305. Protected records.The following records are protected if properly classified by a governmental entity:
(1) trade secrets as defined in Section 13-24-2 if the person submitting the trade secret has provided the governmental entity with the information specified in Section 63G-2-309;
(2) commercial information or nonindividual financial information obtained from a person if:
(a) disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in unfair competitive injury to the person submitting the information or would impair the ability of the governmental entity to obtain necessary information in the future;
(b) the person submitting the information has a greater interest in prohibiting access than the public in obtaining access; and
(c) the person submitting the information has provided the governmental entity with the information specified in Section 63G-2-309;
(3) commercial or financial information acquired or prepared by a governmental entity to the extent that disclosure would lead to financial speculations in currencies, securities, or commodities that will interfere with a planned transaction by the governmental entity or cause substantial financial injury to the governmental entity or state economy;
(4) records the disclosure of which could cause commercial injury to, or confer a competitive advantage upon a potential or actual competitor of, a commercial project entity as defined in Subsection 11-13-103(4);
(5) test questions and answers to be used in future license, certification, registration, employment, or academic examinations;
(6) records the disclosure of which would impair governmental procurement proceedings or give an unfair advantage to any person proposing to enter into a contract or agreement with a governmental entity, except, subject to Subsections (1) and (2), that this Subsection (6) does not restrict the right of a person to have access to, once the contract or grant has been awarded, a bid, proposal, or application submitted to or by a governmental entity in response to:
(a) a request for bids;
(b) a request for proposals;
(c) a grant; or
(d) other similar document;
(7) records that would identify real property or the appraisal or estimated value of real or personal property, including intellectual property, under consideration for public acquisition before any rights to the property are acquired unless:
(a) public interest in obtaining access to the information outweighs the governmental entity's need to acquire the property on the best terms possible;
(b) the information has already been disclosed to persons not employed by or under a duty of confidentiality to the entity;
(c) in the case of records that would identify property, potential sellers of the described property have already learned of the governmental entity's plans to acquire the property;
(d) in the case of records that would identify the appraisal or estimated value of property, the potential sellers have already learned of the governmental entity's estimated value of the property; or
(e) the property under consideration for public acquisition is a single family residence and the governmental entity seeking to acquire the property has initiated negotiations to acquire
the property as required under Section 78B-6-505;
(8) records prepared in contemplation of sale, exchange, lease, rental, or other
compensated transaction of real or personal property including intellectual property, which, if
disclosed prior to completion of the transaction, would reveal the appraisal or estimated value of
the subject property, unless:
(a) the public interest in access outweighs the interests in restricting access, including the
governmental entity's interest in maximizing the financial benefit of the transaction; or
(b) when prepared by or on behalf of a governmental entity, appraisals or estimates of the
value of the subject property have already been disclosed to persons not employed by or under a
duty of confidentiality to the entity;
(9) records created or maintained for civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement
purposes or audit purposes, or for discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes, if
release of the records:
(a) reasonably could be expected to interfere with investigations undertaken for
enforcement, discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes;
(b) reasonably could be expected to interfere with audits, disciplinary, or enforcement
proceedings;
(c) would create a danger of depriving a person of a right to a fair trial or impartial
hearing;
(d) reasonably could be expected to disclose the identity of a source who is not generally
known outside of government and, in the case of a record compiled in the course of an
investigation, disclose information furnished by a source not generally known outside of
government if disclosure would compromise the source; or
(e) reasonably could be expected to disclose investigative or audit techniques,
procedures, policies, or orders not generally known outside of government if disclosure would
interfere with enforcement or audit efforts;
(10) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the life or safety of an individual;
(11) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the security of governmental
property, governmental programs, or governmental recordkeeping systems from damage, theft, or
other appropriation or use contrary to law or public policy;
(12) records that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the security or safety of a correctional
facility, or records relating to incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole, that would interfere
with the control and supervision of an offender's incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole;
(13) records that, if disclosed, would reveal recommendations made to the Board of
Pardons and Parole by an employee of or contractor for the Department of Corrections, the Board
of Pardons and Parole, or the Department of Human Services that are based on the employee's or
contractor's supervision, diagnosis, or treatment of any person within the board's jurisdiction;
(14) records and audit workpapers that identify audit, collection, and operational
procedures and methods used by the State Tax Commission, if disclosure would interfere with
audits or collections;
(15) records of a governmental audit agency relating to an ongoing or planned audit until
the final audit is released;
(16) records prepared by or on behalf of a governmental entity solely in anticipation of
litigation that are not available under the rules of discovery;
(17) records disclosing an attorney's work product, including the mental impressions or
legal theories of an attorney or other representative of a governmental entity concerning
litigation;
(18) records of communications between a governmental entity and an attorney
representing, retained, or employed by the governmental entity if the communications would be
privileged as provided in Section 78B-1-137;
(19) (a) (i) personal files of a state legislator, including personal correspondence to or
from a member of the Legislature; and
(ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(a)(i), correspondence that gives notice of legislative
action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section; and
(b) (i) an internal communication that is part of the deliberative process in connection
with the preparation of legislation between:
(A) members of a legislative body;
(B) a member of a legislative body and a member of the legislative body's staff; or
(C) members of a legislative body's staff; and
(ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(b)(i), a communication that gives notice of
legislative action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section;
(20) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Research and
General Counsel, that, if disclosed, would reveal a particular legislator's contemplated legislation
or contemplated course of action before the legislator has elected to support the legislation or
course of action, or made the legislation or course of action public; and
(b) notwithstanding Subsection (20)(a), the form to request legislation submitted to the
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel is a public document unless a legislator asks
that the records requesting the legislation be maintained as protected records until such time as
the legislator elects to make the legislation or course of action public;
(21) research requests from legislators to the Office of Legislative Research and General
Counsel or the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and research findings prepared in
response to these requests;
(22) drafts, unless otherwise classified as public;
(23) records concerning a governmental entity's strategy about collective bargaining or
pending litigation;
(24) records of investigations of loss occurrences and analyses of loss occurrences that
may be covered by the Risk Management Fund, the Employers' Reinsurance Fund, the Uninsured
Employers' Fund, or similar divisions in other governmental entities;
(25) records, other than personnel evaluations, that contain a personal recommendation
concerning an individual if disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy, or disclosure is not in the public interest;
(26) records that reveal the location of historic, prehistoric, paleontological, or biological
resources that if known would jeopardize the security of those resources or of valuable historic,
scientific, educational, or cultural information;
(27) records of independent state agencies if the disclosure of the records would conflict
with the fiduciary obligations of the agency;
(28) records of an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
Section 53B-1-102 regarding tenure evaluations, appointments, applications for admissions,
retention decisions, and promotions, which could be properly discussed in a meeting closed in
accordance with Title 52, Chapter 4, Open and Public Meetings Act, provided that records of the
final decisions about tenure, appointments, retention, promotions, or those students admitted,
may not be classified as protected under this section;
(29) records of the governor's office, including budget recommendations, legislative
proposals, and policy statements, that if disclosed would reveal the governor's contemplated
policies or contemplated courses of action before the governor has implemented or rejected those
policies or courses of action or made them public;
(30) records of the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst relating to budget analysis,
revenue estimates, and fiscal notes of proposed legislation before issuance of the final
recommendations in these areas;
(31) records provided by the United States or by a government entity outside the state
that are given to the governmental entity with a requirement that they be managed as protected
records if the providing entity certifies that the record would not be subject to public disclosure if
retained by it;
(32) transcripts, minutes, or reports of the closed portion of a meeting of a public body
except as provided in Section 52-4-206;
(33) records that would reveal the contents of settlement negotiations but not including
final settlements or empirical data to the extent that they are not otherwise exempt from
disclosure;
(34) memoranda prepared by staff and used in the decision-making process by an
administrative law judge, a member of the Board of Pardons and Parole, or a member of any
other body charged by law with performing a quasi-judicial function;
(35) records that would reveal negotiations regarding assistance or incentives offered by
or requested from a governmental entity for the purpose of encouraging a person to expand or
locate a business in Utah, but only if disclosure would result in actual economic harm to the
person or place the governmental entity at a competitive disadvantage, but this section may not
be used to restrict access to a record evidencing a final contract;
(36) materials to which access must be limited for purposes of securing or maintaining
the governmental entity's proprietary protection of intellectual property rights including patents,
copyrights, and trade secrets;
(37) the name of a donor or a prospective donor to a governmental entity, including an
institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section 53B-1-102, and other
information concerning the donation that could reasonably be expected to reveal the identity of
the donor, provided that:
(a) the donor requests anonymity in writing;
(b) any terms, conditions, restrictions, or privileges relating to the donation may not be
classified protected by the governmental entity under this Subsection (37); and
(c) except for an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
Section 53B-1-102, the governmental unit to which the donation is made is primarily engaged in
educational, charitable, or artistic endeavors, and has no regulatory or legislative authority over
the donor, a member of the donor's immediate family, or any entity owned or controlled by the
donor or the donor's immediate family;
(38) accident reports, except as provided in Sections 41-6a-404, 41-12a-202, and
73-18-13;
(39) a notification of workers' compensation insurance coverage described in Section
34A-2-205;
(40) (a) the following records of an institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section 53B-1-102, which have been developed, discovered, disclosed to, or received by or on behalf of faculty, staff, employees, or students of the institution:
(i) unpublished lecture notes;
(ii) unpublished notes, data, and information:
(A) relating to research; and
(B) of:
(I) the institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section 53B-1-102; or
(II) a sponsor of sponsored research;
(iii) unpublished manuscripts;
(iv) creative works in process;
(v) scholarly correspondence; and
(vi) confidential information contained in research proposals;
(b) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to prohibit disclosure of public information required pursuant to Subsection 53B-16-302(2)(a) or (b); and
(c) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to affect the ownership of a record;
(41) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General that would reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit prior to the date that audit is completed and made public; and
(b) notwithstanding Subsection (41)(a), a request for a legislative audit submitted to the Office of the Legislative Auditor General is a public document unless the legislator asks that the records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General that would reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit be maintained as protected records until the audit is completed and made public;
(42) records that provide detail as to the location of an explosive, including a map or other document that indicates the location of:
(a) a production facility; or
(b) a magazine;
(43) information:
(a) contained in the statewide database of the Division of Aging and Adult Services created by Section 62A-3-311.1; or
(b) received or maintained in relation to the Identity Theft Reporting Information System (IRIS) established under Section 67-5-22;
(44) information contained in the Management Information System and Licensing Information System described in Title 62A, Chapter 4a, Child and Family Services;
(45) information regarding National Guard operations or activities in support of the National Guard's federal mission;
(46) records provided by any pawn or secondhand business to a law enforcement agency or to the central database in compliance with Title 13, Chapter 32a, Pawnshop and Secondhand Merchandise Transaction Information Act;
(47) information regarding food security, risk, and vulnerability assessments performed by the Department of Agriculture and Food;
(48) except to the extent that the record is exempt from this chapter pursuant to Section 63G-2-106, records related to an emergency plan or program prepared or maintained by the
Division of Homeland Security the disclosure of which would jeopardize:
(a) the safety of the general public; or
(b) the security of:
(i) governmental property;
(ii) governmental programs; or
(iii) the property of a private person who provides the Division of Homeland Security
information;
(49) records of the Department of Agriculture and Food relating to the National Animal
Identification System or any other program that provides for the identification, tracing, or control
of livestock diseases, including any program established under Title 4, Chapter 24, Utah
Livestock Brand and Anti-theft Act or Title 4, Chapter 31, Livestock Inspection and Quarantine;
(50) as provided in Section 26-39-501:
(a) information or records held by the Department of Health related to a complaint
regarding a child care program or residential child care which the department is unable to
substantiate; and
(b) information or records related to a complaint received by the Department of Health
from an anonymous complainant regarding a child care program or residential child care;
(51) unless otherwise classified as public under Section 63G-2-301 and except as
provided under Section 41-1a-116, an individual's home address, home telephone number, or
personal mobile phone number, if:
(a) the individual is required to provide the information in order to comply with a law,
ordinance, rule, or order of a government entity; and
(b) the subject of the record has a reasonable expectation that this information will be
kept confidential due to:
(i) the nature of the law, ordinance, rule, or order; and
(ii) the individual complying with the law, ordinance, rule, or order;
(52) the name, home address, work addresses, and telephone numbers of an individual
that is engaged in, or that provides goods or services for, medical or scientific research that is:
(a) conducted within the state system of higher education, as defined in Section
53B-1-102; and
(b) conducted using animals;
(53) an initial proposal under Title 63M, Chapter 1, Part 26, Government Procurement
Private Proposal Program, to the extent not made public by rules made under that chapter;
(54) information collected and a report prepared by the Judicial Performance Evaluation
Commission concerning a judge, unless Section 20A-7-702 or Title 78A, Chapter 12, Judicial
Performance Evaluation Commission Act, requires disclosure of, or makes public, the
information or report;
(55) (a) records of the Utah Educational Savings Plan created under Section 53B-8a-103
if the disclosure of the records would conflict with its fiduciary obligations;
(b) proposals submitted to the Utah Educational Savings Plan; and
(c) contracts entered into by the Utah Educational Savings Plan and the related payments;
(56) records contained in the Management Information System created in Section
62A-4a-1003;
(57) records provided or received by the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office in
furtherance of any contract or other agreement made in accordance with Section 63J-4-603;
(58) information requested by and provided to the Utah State 911 Committee under Section 53-10-602;
(59) recorded Children's Justice Center investigative interviews, both video and audio, the release of which are governed by Section 77-37-4; and
(60) in accordance with Section 73-10-33:
(a) a management plan for a water conveyance facility in the possession of the Division of Water Resources or the Board of Water Resources; or
(b) an outline of an emergency response plan in possession of the state or a county or municipality.
Amended by Chapter 6, 2010 General Session
Amended by Chapter 113, 2010 General Session
Amended by Chapter 247, 2010 General Session
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