Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, with about 190,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Tempe offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 3 city office pages for Tempe, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Tempe records are kept
- Kept by the City of Tempe: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Maricopa County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Maricopa County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Tempe City Clerk: council records and ordinances
The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for Tempe.
- Website: tempe.gov/government/city-clerk-s-office/public-records-requests-22868 (page title: Public Records Requests | City of Tempe, AZ)
- Phone: 480-350-4311
- Address: 31 E. Fifth St., Tempe, AZ 85281
- Hours: Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Tempe police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Tempe police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Tempe police records.
- Website: tempe.gov/government/police/police-public-records-request (page title: Police Public Records Request | City of Tempe, AZ)
- Phone: 480-350-8588
- Address: 120 E. 5th Street Tempe, AZ 85281
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Maricopa County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Tempe City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: tempe.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/20/2856 (page title: City Hall | Facilities | City of Tempe, AZ)
- Phone: (480) 350-4311
- Address: 31 E. 5th Street Tempe, AZ 85281
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Tempe
Arizona public records law applies to the city government of Tempe. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Other cities and towns in Maricopa County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Maricopa County. The Maricopa County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Tempe website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Tempe offices listed above, and the city's own website is tempe.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Tempe?
Request it from the Tempe police records unit at tempe.gov, phone 480-350-8588. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find Tempe city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at tempe.gov, phone 480-350-4311. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Tempe?
Tempe cases are heard by the courts that serve Maricopa County, and people arrested in Tempe are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Maricopa County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Tempe?
From the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Arizona public records law applies to city governments.