How CivicRecordsOnline works in detail.

Open the document in your browser. Run the Instant Privacy Scan and the system flags structured personal information as draft redactions automatically. Use Find & Fix Everywhere to type a name or phrase once and apply matching redactions across every page. Draw boxes for anything else. Tag each redaction with its exemption code. When you publish, the Permanent Safety Lock bakes the redactions into a flat release copy that no one can ever undo — while the original master file stays untouched in the audit trail.

• Instant Privacy Scan — finds Social Security numbers, phone numbers, emails, dates of birth in context, addresses, ZIP codes, driver license numbers, VINs, credit cards, IP addresses, and medical code patterns as draft redactions
• Find & Fix Everywhere — type a name, phrase, internal ID, or pattern once and erase matching text across every page in one pass
• Smart Medical Catching — flags complicated health terms, sensitive medical code patterns, dates of birth in context, and minor names that ordinary search tools miss
• Scanned-paper reading — OCR layers extract text from scanned PDFs and images so the privacy scan and bulk erase work on historical paper records too
• Manual review tools — draw boxes or highlight text to redact anything the scan should not infer
• Exemption tagging — tag every redaction with the statutory exemption code so the legal reason is on the record
• Draft review before release — nothing is published silently. Staff approve every redaction before the release copy goes out.
• Permanent Safety Lock — published redactions are baked permanently into the release copy. They cannot be removed or revealed. Original file stays untouched.
• Predictable, not AI — the engine is deterministic pattern matching. Same input, same answer, every time. Your records never train an outside AI model.

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

Most clerks shopping for new records software are leaving a previous platform. The CivicRecordsOnline bulk importer is built for that. Export your request log from your current system as a CSV, upload the file from Settings → Bulk Import, and your history loads with the original dates, statuses, requester contact information, and source IDs preserved. The clerk does it self-serve. No vendor migration project, no professional services engagement, no implementation fee.

• Direct CSV format support for NextRequest, GovQA, JustFOIA, FOIAXpress, and MyGovHub exports
• Generic CSV format for everything else (Tyler exports, internal spreadsheets, custom systems)
• Downloadable CSV template so you know exactly what columns to map
• Preserve original dates so deadline math is accurate
• Preserve original statuses so closed requests stay closed
• Per-row error reporting with one-click retry for the rows that did not import cleanly
• Full import history kept under Settings, including who imported what and when

The importer covers request history metadata. Document files and attachments are not migrated — those stay with your previous system or move on your own timeline.

Most government software support means scheduling a call with an account manager. CivicRecordsOnline gives you an in-app support ticketing system inside the staff portal — submit, attach, reply, and track status in one place. No external helpdesk URL, no scheduling, no "your customer success manager will reach out within two business days."

• Open a ticket from the staff portal — subject, category, message, attachments
• Attach screenshots, problem PDFs, or error exports (up to 10 MB each, 25 MB per ticket)
• Categorize as General, Issue, Billing, or Setup so the right person picks it up
• Mark Urgent for issues blocking the office
• Watch status update from New → In Progress → Resolved without refreshing your inbox
• Threaded back-and-forth with support, every reply timestamped on the ticket
• Full ticket history kept per agency — when a clerk leaves, the next clerk can see what was already asked
• Each ticket gets a number (SUP-2026-XXXXXX) you can quote when emailing
• Email notification on every reply so you do not have to log in to know it was answered

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