Pennsylvania · Right-to-Know Law

Filing a Right-to-Know request

Pennsylvania law lets anyone who lives in the United States ask a local government for its records. You do not have to say why you want them. This guide covers how to file, the deadlines, and what to do if you are denied.

Sample request Deadlines

Last reviewed . This guide is general information, not legal advice.

The law

What the Right-to-Know Law covers

The Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), Act 3 of 2008, is codified at 65 P.S. § 67.101 and following. It applies to state agencies and to local agencies such as counties, boroughs, townships, and school districts.

A record held by a local agency is presumed public (§ 305). The agency can withhold it only if it falls under an exemption in § 708(b), is privileged, or is protected by another law. If the agency withholds a record, it has to prove the exemption applies (§ 708(a)).

Contracts, invoices, purchase orders, meeting minutes, and emails about spending public money are usually public. Criminal investigative records are usually exempt.

Before you file

Who can ask, and who to ask

Any legal resident of the United States can file (§ 102). You do not have to give a reason, and the agency cannot ask for one (§ 703).

Every agency has an Open Records Officer. Send your request to that person. Agencies must post the officer's contact information and must accept the standard request form published by the Office of Open Records (OOR) (§ 505).

Keep the request specific. Name the type of record, the subject, and a date range. "All emails between the Sheriff's Office and Flock Safety from January 1, 2024 to present" works better than "everything about Flock."

Contacts

Where to send requests in Franklin County

Unconfirmed

Franklin County

Officer: Not yet confirmed

Email: Not yet confirmed

Mail: Not yet confirmed

Covers the Sheriff's Office and District Attorney.

Borough of Chambersburg

Officer: Not yet confirmed

Email: Not yet confirmed

Mail: Not yet confirmed

Covers the Chambersburg Police Department.

Borough of Waynesboro

Officer: Not yet confirmed

Email: Not yet confirmed

Mail: Not yet confirmed

Antrim Township

Officer: Not yet confirmed

Email: Not yet confirmed

Mail: Not yet confirmed

How to file

Filing a request, step by step

  1. Find the Open Records Officer

    Look for a "Right-to-Know" or "Open Records" page on the agency's website, or call the main office and ask.

  2. Write the request

    Use the OOR standard form or write your own letter or email. List each record you want as a separate numbered item so a partial denial is easy to track.

  3. Submit it in writing

    Email, mail, fax, or hand delivery all work (§ 703). Only a written request can be appealed, so do not rely on a phone call.

  4. Record the date

    Write down the date you sent it and keep a copy. Every deadline that follows is counted from that date.

  5. Watch for the response

    The agency has five business days to respond. It may grant the request, deny it in writing, or send a notice taking up to 30 more calendar days.

Deadlines

How long each step takes

Section numbers refer to the RTKL, 65 P.S. § 67.xxx.

EventDeadlineLaw
Agency's first response5 business days after the request is received§ 901
Extension, if the agency invokes oneUp to 30 calendar days, with written notice§ 902
No response by the deadlineRequest is deemed denied§ 901
Your appeal to the OOR15 business days after the denial or deemed denial§ 1101(a)
OOR final determination30 calendar days after the appeal is filed, unless you agree to more time§ 1101(b)
Appeal of OOR decision to court30 days after the OOR decision§ 1302

Fees

What it costs

Unconfirmed

Agencies may charge only the fees set by the OOR fee schedule, plus postage (§ 1307). Paper copies are typically $0.25 per page. The agency cannot charge for the time it spends searching for or reviewing records.

If the estimated fees are over $100, the agency may require payment before it releases the records (§ 1307(h)).

Ask for records by email in electronic form. That is often free or close to it. See the OOR fee schedule and Franklin County's fee page.

Appeals

If you are denied

  1. Read the denial letter

    A denial must be in writing and must cite the legal reason (§ 903). Note which exemption the agency claims for each item.

  2. Appeal to the Office of Open Records

    File within 15 business days using the OOR's online appeal form. Include your request, the denial, and why you think the exemption does not apply. There is no fee.

  3. Check whether a different appeals officer applies

    If a local agency denies a record as a criminal investigative record, the appeal goes to an appeals officer named by the District Attorney, not the OOR (§ 503(d)).

  4. Go to court if needed

    If you lose at the OOR, you can appeal a local agency decision to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days (§ 1302). For Franklin County agencies, that is the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

Police recordings

Body cam and dash cam video (Act 22)

Unconfirmed

Police body camera and dash camera recordings are not requested under the RTKL. They fall under Act 22 of 2017, 42 Pa.C.S. Chapter 67A.

The request must reach the agency's Open Records Officer within 60 days of the date the recording was made. It must go by personal delivery or certified mail, not email. It must describe the date, time, and location of the event and your relationship to it. The OOR publishes a request form.

The agency has 30 days to respond. If it denies the request, you can file a petition for judicial review in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where the event happened, within 30 days of the denial. A court filing fee applies.

Whether ALPR camera images count as Act 22 recordings has not been settled. Contracts, invoices, audit logs, and policies about those cameras go through the regular RTKL.

Template

Sample request

Copy this, fill in the brackets, and send it to the Open Records Officer.

To: [Open Records Officer name]
[Agency name]
[Address or email]

Date: [date]

Under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq.,
I request the following records:

1. All contracts, service agreements, and amendments between [agency]
   and Flock Safety (Flock Group, Inc.) from January 1, 2022 to the present.
2. All invoices and purchase orders paid to Flock Safety over the same period.
3. Any written policy governing access to, retention of, or sharing of
   data from license plate reader cameras.

I prefer to receive these records electronically by email at [your email].

Please notify me before incurring fees over $[amount].

[Your name]
[Mailing address]

Tips

Getting records you can use

  • Split big requests into several small ones. A narrow request is harder to deny as "insufficiently specific."
  • Ask for the documents themselves, not answers to questions. The RTKL does not require an agency to create a record that does not exist.
  • Keep every email and letter. Your appeal is built from that paper trail.
  • Put the deadlines on a calendar the day you file.

Sources

Where this comes from