How CivicRecordsOnline works in detail.

Open the document in your browser. Run Auto-PII recognition for structured patterns, search for a word or regex, and add every match as a draft redaction at once. Draw boxes or highlight text to cover anything else. Tag each redaction with its exemption code. When you publish, the redactions are baked into a separate release copy.

• Auto-PII scans for SSNs, phone numbers, emails, DOB context, addresses, ZIP codes, driver license numbers, VINs, credit cards, IP addresses, and medical code patterns
• Bulk pattern matching finds literal text or regex matches across the whole document at once
• OCR-assisted scanning can cover scanned PDFs when OCR is configured
• Draw boxes or highlight text to redact anything the pattern scan should not infer
• Tag each redaction with the exemption code so you have a record of why
• Save drafts for review before releasing
• Published redactions are permanent in the release copy. They cannot be removed or revealed.

Every state has different rules for response timing. The system loads your state's rules, counts only business days, skips state and local holidays, and shows a clear countdown for every open request.

• All 50 states' public records laws built in, with response deadlines and exemption codes
• Adjust any deadline rule and add custom exemptions to fit your agency
• Skips state holidays and your city's local holidays
• Color-coded deadlines: green means you have time, yellow means soon, red means now
• Automatic reminders to staff before deadlines hit
• Pause the clock when you are waiting on clarification, with the reason on the record
• End-of-year compliance reports ready when your state asks for them

How many times has your office pulled the same budget, the same meeting minutes, the same salary schedule? The system keeps a Released Records Portal — sometimes called a FOIA reading room — a public page of records you have already released. When someone starts a new request, it checks if the answer is already available.

• A Released Records Portal where anyone can search and download what has been released
• When a requester starts typing, the system suggests matching records before they submit
• Track how many requests were answered without new staff work
• Show council exactly how much time the system is saving your office

Drag and drop files into the request. View PDFs, images, and other documents right in your browser. Mark what is internal and what is ready to release. When it is time, send the requester a secure download link.

• Upload any file type, up to 500 MB per file
• Drag and drop multiple files or entire zip folders at once
• View PDFs, images, audio, and video without downloading them
• Run Auto-PII or bulk pattern matching before a record leaves the request
• Requesters get a secure link that expires after 24 hours
• Both the original and redacted versions are kept on file

Records requests can include sensitive information. The system is built to keep it safe, control who sees what, and meet the security requirements your IT department will ask about. Redaction automation is deterministic pattern matching, not generative AI, and records are not sent to train external models.

• All data encrypted in storage and in transit
• Staff see only what their role allows
• Stored on secure Microsoft Azure infrastructure
• Original files and redacted release copies are retained separately
• Every draft, review, publish, and release action is captured in the audit trail
• Accessible for users with disabilities
• Works with your city's existing login system if you have one
• Security documentation ready for IT review on request