Opinions

26 Jun The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the Mercer County Commission

Posted at 11:22h in Opinions by Scott Reisenauer 0 Comments

June 26, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210Request: Marv Schwehr requested an opinion from this office under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-21.1 regarding whether the Mercer County Commission (Commission) violated N.D.C.C. §§ 44-04-20, 44-04-19 .2, and 44-04-19 by failing to properly notice an executive session, failing to...

02 Jun The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the Williams County Sheriff’s Office

Posted at 14:17h in Opinions by Scott Reisenauer 0 Comments

June 2, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210Request: Dustin Hendricks requested an opinion from this office under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-21.1 asking whether the Williams County Sheriff's Office violated N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18 by improperly withholding records under N .D.C.C. § 12-44.1-28.Conclusion: It is my opinion that...

27 Apr The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the Office of the State Tax Commissioner

Posted at 14:45h in Opinions by Suzie Weigel 0 Comments

April 27, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210Request: Whether the Office of the State Tax Commissioner violated N.D.C.C. §44-04-18 by refusing to disclose whether specific businesses had sales and use tax permits.Conclusion: The State Tax Commissioner did not violate the open records law by refusing...

23 Mar The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the Grand Forks Police Department

Posted at 16:18h in Opinions by Josh Iverson 0 Comments

March 23, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210Request: Whether the Grand Forks Police Department violated N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18 by initially denying a request for records under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18.7 on the basis that the records constituted active criminal investigative information.Conclusion: The Grand Forks Police Department did...

23 Mar The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the City of Mandan

Posted at 16:11h in Opinions by Josh Iverson 0 Comments

March 23, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210Request: Whether the City of Mandan violated N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18 by failing to respond to an open records request within a reasonable time when the City provided prior notice and alternative means of communication before blocking an...

04 Mar The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to Joshua Gallion, State Auditor

Posted at 11:34h in Opinions by Scott Reisenauer 0 Comments

March 4, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210BISMARCK, ND - It is the opinion that federal law does not prevent the state from auditing P&A and even though P&A possesses confidential records, N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22.1 and 42 C.F.R. § 51.45(c) authorize the state auditor and...

27 Feb The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the Mandan City Commission.

Posted at 11:23h in Opinions by Scott Reisenauer 0 Comments

February 27, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210BISMARCK, ND - Karen Jordan requested an opinion from this office under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-21.1 asking whether the Mandan City Commission failed to properly notice a special meeting in violation of N.D.C.C. § 44-04-20.In this case, only two...

27 Feb Morton County did not violate North Dakota’s open records law when the County Auditor, within a reasonable time, informed the requester that the requested records were not in the County’s possession..

Posted at 11:02h in Opinions by Scott Reisenauer 0 Comments

February 27, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210BISMARCK, ND - Karen Jordan requested an opinion from this office under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-21.1 asking whether Morton County violated N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18 by failing or refusing to provide records.Conclusion: It is my opinion that Morton County's response...

30 Jan The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Posted at 09:43h in Opinions by Scott Reisenauer 0 Comments

January 30, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210BISMARCK, ND - Sheri McMahon requested an opinion from this office under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-21.1 asking whether the Department of Health and Human Services failed to provide records transmitted from the Department of Health and Human Services to...

27 Jan The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the Ransom County Commission.

Posted at 13:59h in Opinions by Scott Reisenauer 0 Comments

January 27, 2026Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210BISMARCK, ND - Lynn Gonzalez requested an opinion from this office under N. D. C. C. § 44-04-21.1 asking whether the Ransom County Commission violated N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18 by requiring Ms. Gonzalez to sign a document for receipt...