Open Records Request (CORA)

Requests for records or documents pursuant to the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) C.R.S. 24-72-201 et seq., can be submitted by completing our Open Records Request Form in compliance with the Elbert County Open Records Act Policy. 

Completed CORA requests can be emailed to OpenRecords@elbertcounty-co.gov or mailed to:
Elbert County Open Records Department
PO Box 7
215 Comanche St., Kiowa, CO 80117

CORA Costs
To pay for the cost of processing a CORA request, the County may charge for the time spent to research and respond to requests for records under CORA.

  • Staff time may be charged at a rate of $33 per hour (after the first free hour).  
  • There is no charge for the first hour to research and retrieve records.
  • There is an additional charge of $0.25 per page for regular paper copies, or an additional cost for the cost of other paper sizes when costs exceed this amount.
  • Requests that require a thumb drive will incur a $10 charge.
  • Any fees incurred must be paid before such records are released to the requesting party. 
  • Fees may be paid by check or online, with a credit card.  Pay online.

Record Description
If the document name is unknown, provide a specific description of the document requested. A request which is broad, vague or too voluminous, may cause a delay in the time the County can produce the records. Please attach an additional page, if needed, to list these items in detail.

Time Estimates
The County may provide the requester with a time and cost estimate, which may require a pre-payment or deposit before processing the request. If you pay for more time than is spent processing your request, you will receive a refund.

CORA responses will generally be provided within three business days after receipt, not including the date of receipt, absent extenuating circumstances. The County considers CORA requests received after 4:00 p.m. on a day the County is open to be received on the next business day which the County is open for business. CORA requests received on days when the County is closed will be deemed received on the next business day during which the County is open.

CORA permits an extension of this time up to seven additional business days in the event of extenuating circumstances. Additionally, a requestor may be asked to provide more specificity regarding a CORA request when: 

  • The request is so broad that it cannot be gathered within three days or 
  • The agency would need to devote all or substantially all of its resources to meeting the deadline, thereby interfering with the custodian’s ability to perform his or her other public duties. 

If a CORA request is overly broad or vague about what records are being requested so that the exceptional circumstances might apply, the County can respond to the requestor asking for a more specific request. If the requestor submits a revised request, the response process and deadline start over again upon receipt of the revised request.

Online Public Records
Many records are already publicly available by searching our online database. This includes records and documents related to Board of County Commissioner meetings.  If the record you are seeking is not already publicly available, or otherwise accessible online, a CORA request can be made by completely filling out the Open Records Form.

Some records, that contain the information you are looking for, may be available on the County website without completing a formal CORA request. Also, many records are available in the County Recording Database such as marriage and property records, the Office of the Clerk and Recorder is the custodian of various County records including:

  • Ordinances, Resolutions, Proclamations, and Minutes
  • Contracts and Agreements
  • Oaths of Office for County officials
  • Miscellaneous documents placed in the public record as “County Clerk Files”