The public records law exempts certain types of records from required disclosure. The law says that records containing certain communications between attorneys and their government clients, state tax information (N.C.G.S. § 132-1.1), trade secrets (N.C.G.S. § 132-1.2), certain lawsuit settlements (N.C.G.S. § 132-1.3), criminal investigation records (N.C.G.S. § 132-1.4), and records about industrial expansion (N.C.G.S. § 132-6(d)), are not public records.
Several statutes regulate public disclosure of personnel information of government employees. See N.C.G.S. §§ 126-22, 153A-98, 160A-168, 115C-321, 115D-29, 122C-158, 130A-42, 131E-97.1, 162A-6.1. Although some personnel information is public, including name, age, date of employment, current position, title, current salary, date of most recent salary or position assignment change, location of current assignment and the written notice of final termination decision. Personnel files of state, county and municipal employees are generally confidential. These rules apply to personnel information for applicants, current employees and former employees.