Open Public Records Act

Your right to know what the government is doing.

OPRA gives every New Jersey resident the legal right to request public documents from government agencies. Most people don't know it exists. BOOI changes that.

How to file

Five steps. Plain English. No legal background required.

Any document created or received by a government office in the course of official business is a government record — and you have the legal right to see it. Contracts, meeting minutes, voting records, budget line items, official correspondence.

Step 1
Identify the agency
Which Bayonne office has the record? City Clerk handles city records. The school district has its own records custodian. Each agency is separate.
Step 2
Write your request
Be specific — describe the record, the timeframe, and the format you want. Electronic is faster and free.
Step 3
Submit to the Records Custodian
Bayonne City Clerk: 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ 07002. Email is accepted and preferred — it creates a paper trail.
Step 4
Wait for the response
7 business days. If they don't respond or send an extension notice, that is a violation. Contact BOOI immediately.
Step 5
Review what you receive
Redactions must be explained individually. Blanket redactions without explanation can be appealed to the NJ Government Records Council.
BOOI will file for you
You see something that doesn't look right. You don't know how to ask for the documents.
Contact BOOI. We file the request, process the response, and publish what's relevant to the public record. The record is only as strong as what's in it. OPRA is how we go get more.
Contact BOOI →
What you can request

Any document created or received by a government office is a public record.

Common requests BOOI files for Bayonne residents:

City contracts with technology vendors
What software the city is buying and at what price.
City council voting records
How every council member voted on every ordinance.
School board meeting minutes
What was discussed and voted on at BOE meetings.
Budget line items for specific departments
Where the money actually goes.
Official correspondence on a specific topic
Emails and memos between officials on issues that matter to you.