Public records and public information compiled by the departments of the City of Asheville government are the property of the people. As outlined in the City’s Public Records Policy, people may obtain copies of their public records and public information free or at minimal cost unless otherwise specifically provided by law.
Please read the list of records already available online, records not held by the City, and records that are not public record.
If you need information that is not available at the links below, please visit the Public Records Portal to submit a request.
Public Records Available Online
- Asheville Police Department Police to Citizen Portal: Events, arrests, and incidents from 2003 to present.
- Asheville Police Department Policies
- City of Asheville Open Data Portal: Salaries, contracts, planning, use of force, demographics, and more.
- Development Services Department Portal: Permits, planning, services, and other information.
- City Council Meeting Materials 2021-2020; 2019-2012: Action agendas, meeting minutes, resolutions from meetings, supporting documents when applicable, and a link to the YouTube video of the council meeting from 2012 to present.
- City Council Meeting Minutes: Full-text searching of City Council Minutes from 1984 to present.
- Simplicity: Property owner information, trash pick up, zoning, appraised value, and more.
Records Not Held by the City of Asheville
- Birth, Death, or Marriage Records are available through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Vital Records.
- Criminal, Court, or Divorce Records are available through the Buncombe County Clerk of Superior Court.
- Environmental Assessment Records, including above-ground or below-ground storage tanks and/or hazardous material spills, are available through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Permits and Inspection Branch and the Hazardous Waste Section.
- Real estate and property records are available through the Buncombe County Register of Deeds.
- Property tax information is available through the Buncombe County Tax Office.
- Sewer system records are available through the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County.
Information that Is Not Public Record
- Personnel information and records other than what is specifically made public under G.S.§ 160A-168.
- Personally identifiable information of public utility customers including addresses for water shut offs, sanitation pick up, etc. (G.S. § 132-1.14).
- Police records that include specific tactics, or specific security or emergency procedures (G.S. § 132-1.7).
- Criminal investigation and criminal intelligence records except those specifically made public by G.S. § 132-1.4.
General Public Records Request Information
- Be specific about what you’re looking for. Include names and dates, if known. You may be asked to clarify your request.
- To assist us in efficiently filling email requests, provide a time period for the request, keywords or topic information, and specific City staff or council members. Please specify if you want all emails including those sent by the public, or only emails between staff and/or council.
- Email requests will be filtered to exclude automatically generated emails such as calendar notifications, out of office replies, newsletters and City press releases, etc. Please specify if you would like those materials included.
- The City is not required to create or compile records that do not already exist (G.S. § 132-6).