Minnesota · Government Data Practices Act

The Minnesota Data Practices Act — where you classify data, not hunt for exemptions

AccessPoint manages Government Data Practices Act requests under Minn. Stat. Ch. 13 — public data produced promptly, private data shown to its subject within ten days, and every data element classified rather than exempted — pre-configured for Minnesota and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Minnesota at a glance

Response standard
Public data produced in an appropriate and prompt manner (§ 13.03, subd. 2); a data subject is shown data about themselves within 10 days (§ 13.04, subd. 3)
Advisory opinions
The Commissioner of Administration (IPAD) issues written opinions within 50 days — nonbinding but given deference in court (§ 13.072)
Data classification
Every element is public, private, confidential, nonpublic, or protected nonpublic (§ 13.02) — not an exemption list
Charges
100 or fewer letter/legal pages: up to 25 cents per page; otherwise the actual cost of search, retrieval, and copying (§ 13.03, subd. 3)
Oversight
Commissioner of Administration (IPAD); enforcement in district court or the Office of Administrative Hearings
Languages
English

Built for Minnesota

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

Data Practices request lifecycle

Intake to release under Chapter 13 — public data produced promptly, data-subject requests answered within ten days, and every response logged — all on Microsoft 365.

Classify, don't exempt

Minnesota has no exemption list. Every data element is classified — public, private, confidential, nonpublic, or protected nonpublic (§ 13.02) — and who may see it follows from that class. AccessPoint carries the classification on the data itself.

The ten-day data-subject clock

When an individual asks to see data about themselves, comply immediately if possible, or within ten days excluding weekends and holidays (§ 13.04, subd. 3) — computed and reminded for you.

Classification-driven redaction

Withhold and redact by data class, not by exemption — private and confidential elements masked on a colour-coded, audit-trailed record, each keyed to its statutory classification.

Chapter 13 charges

Charge up to 25 cents per page for 100 or fewer letter or legal pages, or the actual cost of searching, retrieving, and copying beyond that (§ 13.03, subd. 3) — with an estimate on request.

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

The data-classification model

Minnesota doesn't give you a list of exemptions — it makes you classify every data element.

Most public-records laws start from disclosure and carve out exemptions. Chapter 13 works the other way. All government data are public unless a statute, federal law, or temporary classification says otherwise — and every element carries a classification that decides who may see it. Data on individuals is public, private (the subject may see it), or confidential (even the subject may not). Data not on individuals is public, nonpublic, or protected nonpublic. Access follows the class, not a case-by-case exemption call. AccessPoint stores the classification with the data, so the right person sees the right element.

Data on individuals Public, private (subject-accessible), or confidential (closed even to the subject).
Data not on individuals Public, nonpublic, or protected nonpublic under § 13.02.
Classify, then release Access follows the classification — no exemption list to argue.

Configured out of the box

Installing the us-mn-gdpa configuration pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (Minn. Stat. Ch. 13) as the legal-authority and citation spine
  • The Minnesota state-holiday calendar and the prompt-access and ten-day data-subject due-date rules
  • The § 13.02 data classifications — public, private, confidential, nonpublic, and protected nonpublic — applied to every data element and colour-coded
  • Chapter 13 charges — up to 25 cents per page for 100 or fewer letter/legal pages, actual cost beyond that (§ 13.03, subd. 3)
  • The IPAD advisory-opinion workflow — requesting and tracking the Commissioner's opinion under § 13.072
  • The district-court and Office of Administrative Hearings enforcement paths (§§ 13.08, 13.085)
  • Minnesota timeliness tracking for both public-data and data-subject requests
  • Data Practices correspondence templates with statutory wording, including data-subject responses

Minnesota Questions

How fast must a Minnesota government entity respond?
Public data must be produced in an appropriate and prompt manner (§ 13.03, subd. 2); the statute sets no fixed number of days. When an individual asks to see data about themselves, the responsible authority must comply immediately if possible, or within ten days excluding weekends and holidays (§ 13.04, subd. 3). AccessPoint tracks both clocks.

What makes Minnesota different — the data-classification model?
Yes. Chapter 13 has no exemption list. All government data are public unless classified otherwise, and every element is public, private, confidential, nonpublic, or protected nonpublic (§ 13.02). Access follows the classification. AccessPoint stores the class with the data so the right person sees the right element.

What can a government entity charge?
For 100 or fewer black-and-white letter or legal pages, no more than 25 cents per page; beyond that, the actual cost of searching for, retrieving, and copying the data (§ 13.03, subd. 3). AccessPoint computes the charge and issues the estimate.

Where does data reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Run the Minnesota Data Practices Act in One Platform

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, pre-configured for Minnesota. No credit card required.

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