OPRA provides that certain government records are not available for public inspection or copying. This includes those portions of records that contain personal information such as driver's license, credit card, social security number, and phone numbers, records pertaining to security and criminal investigations, and other items authorized by law. If a record that is accessible to the public contains such information, that portion of the record will be redacted (blacked out or obscured from view).

If a requestor is denied access to a government record, either in total or through redactions made to the disclosed records, the custodian must provide the requestor with the specific lawful basis for denial. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g).