CORA Requests
Under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA),C.R.S. § 24-72-201 to 206, citizens have the right to request inspection of public documents retained by local and state government agencies at reasonable times, except as otherwise specifically provided by law. Many of the records retained by the Division of Water Resources are made publicly available online and can be accessed using our data search tools or electronic document archive system, Laserfiche Weblink. When records are electronically available online, they do not require an open records request to view, and therefore are not fulfilled as a CORA request generally. If you are unsure whether to submit a CORA request, you may wish to begin by using our AskDWR tool to inquire about online Records Research, found at the bottom of this page.
CORA Fees
- Requests requiring more than 1 hours of staff time or the production of more than 25 pages of paper copies will be assessed the following fees:
- Staff Time: A rate of $33.58/hour will be charged in quarter-hour increments for staff time associated with locating and producing records for a requestor.
- Copies - $0.25 per page will be charged for all printed pages when the number of pages produced exceeds 25 pages.
Response Time
When responding to a CORA request, the Division of Water Resources staff will make every effort to respond within three working days as required by section 24-72-203(3)(b), C.R.S. The three working-day response time begins the first working day following receipt of the complete request. Upon discussion with a requestor, DWR Staff may add up to a seven-working-day extension as allowed in section 24-72-203(3)(b), C.R.S. When in receipt of a broad, general request, the timeframe for completion may be put on hold while DWR Staff clarifies and/or narrows the scope of the information requested with the requestor.
Records requests that cite the federal Freedom of Information Act shall be treated as though they were made pursuant to the Colorado Open Records Act.
Submitting an Open Records Request:
- Reivew the Department of Natural Resources CORA Policy
- All open records requests must be received in writing by the Custodian of Records. Requests can be submitted by email to: Melissa.Schneider@state.co.us
- Requests must be specific in nature, as general or broad topics may delay processing and result in a large number of documents and significantly higher costs.
- Requests must include full contact information (name, phone number, email address, and mailing address) and a deadline of when you need a reply to your request.