Open Public Records Act (OPRA)

The Borough of Belmar stands ready to comply fully with its obligations pursuant to New Jersey‘s Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”). In addition to our statutory obligations under OPRA, the Borough of Belmar are committed to the three elements of Belmar‘s own Open Government Project: Ensuring Citizen Access, Encouraging Citizen Participation and Earning Citizen Confidence. We therefore respond to OPRA requests promptly and ungrudgingly.

In fairness to our taxpayers, we charge reasonable fees in accordance with the OPRA law to defray the Borough‘s costs in responding to OPRA requests. The Borough‘s fees applicable to OPRA requests are 75 cents per page for the first ten pages (pages 1-10), 50 cents per page for the next ten pages (pages 11-20), and 25 cents per page for every page thereafter. For requests in excess of $10, the Borough may require that a deposit be provided in advance. If the request requires extraordinary work in gathering the request, additional fees will be charged.

Belmar‘s OPRA Fee Schedule

$0.75 per page for the first ten pages (pages 1-10)
$0.50 per page for the next ten pages (pages 11-20)
$0.25 per page for each page thereafter
Additional fees will be charged for requests that require extraordinary work.

Requests for public documents must be submitted on the Borough of Belmar’s standard OPRA request form, which you can obtain by clicking here. Once completed, you can fax this form to (732) 681-3434, to the Attention of the Borough Clerk. Click here to obtain an OPRA request form: OPRA Request Form

To learn more about OPRA and the rights of New Jersey‘s citizens to obtain documents regarding the Borough of Belmar or other governmental entities, please visit the Government Records Council website by clicking here.

Click here for a list of Frequently Asked Questions about OPRA.

If you believe your OPRA request has been improperly denied, or to read instructions on you can appeal from a denial of an OPRA request, please click to read the Government Record Council‘s brochure on OPRA. (For the Spanish version, please click here. here. (For the Spanish version, please click here.

To see the Government Record Council‘s easy-to-follow instructions on how to appeal from a denial of your OPRA request, please click

For complaints or comments about Belmar‘s OPRA policy, or to comment on the responsiveness of our municipal staff, or for recommendations on how we can better Ensure Citizen Access, Encourage Citizen Participation and Earn Citizen Confidence, please contact Mayor Ken Pringle at mayor@belmar.com

Recent Posts on Belmar.com