Public Records Requests

It is the intent of the Ohio Ethics Commission to at all times fully comply with and abide by both the spirit and the letter of Ohio’s Public Records Act. Most of the documents created, received by, or that come under the jurisdiction of the Commission are public records.

Upon request the Commission shall make public records available for inspection promptly or provide copies to the requester within a reasonable period of time. Requesters are not required to identify themselves, but will need to provide a mailing or e-mail address in order for the Commission to provide copies. Paper copies of requested records are provided at the cost of $.05 (five cents) per page. There is no charge for records provided electronically. Requesters may specify which option they prefer.

For more information, including the Ohio Ethics Commission's record retention policy, please refer to the Commission’s  Public Records Policy. Questions regarding the Commission's Public Records Policy may be addressed to General Counsel James Hood at james.hood@ethics.ohio.gov.

Requestors may make requests:

  • In person at the Commission office
  • Via telephone to (614) 466-7090
  • Via e-mail:
    For Financial Disclosure Statements - Eric Bruce at eric.bruce@ethics.ohio.gov
    For an Ethics Commission publication or other public records request - James Hood at james.hood@ethics.ohio.gov
  • Via mail:

    Ohio Ethics Commission
    30 West Spring Street, L-3
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

Please note that records may contain information that must be withheld pursuant to ORC Chapters 149 and 1347 or that some records may be exempt from release in their entirety. Reasons for any such withholding or redaction are provided at the time of the inspection or at the time the copies are provided.

Requesting a Financial Disclosure Statement

The Ohio Ethics Commission has retained all of the financial disclosure statements filed with it since 1975. Most of those statements are public records and you can request copies of them.

All statements reflect financial information for the complete calendar year preceding the year in which they are filed. In other words, a 1975 statement reflects financial information for 1975 and was filed in 1976. A 2016 statement reflects financial information for 2016 and was filed in 2017.

Statements from 1974 to 2003

All statements for 1974 to 2003 are retained by State Historical Society at its Archives/Library. To request a copy of these statements, you must contact the Historical Society directly:

Ohio Historical Society
800 East 17th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211
Telephone: (614) 297-2300
Website: www.ohiohistory.org
Archives Page: www.ohiohistory.org/learn/archives-library

The Archives charges for each page of any record requested. For more information about charges, please contact the Archives.

Statements from 2004 to the present

More recently filed statements are retained by and available directly from the Ethics Commission. To obtain a copy of any statement filed between 2004 and now, please contact the Commission and provide the following information:

  • Name of the person who filed the statement;
  • Public position in which the filer serves or served;
  • Public agency that the filer serves or served; and
  • The calendar year of information you are seeking.

For example, to obtain the statement filed in 2017 for calendar year 2016 by the mayor of Oak City, you would provide:

  • Name: Robert J. Smith
  • Title: Mayor
  • Public Agency: Oak City
  • Year: 2016