Right-to-Know Requests
The Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) ensures that citizens have access to public records and that government is transparent. It also helps journalists have fair access to government and court systems.
Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act, also known as the Open Meetings Law, is a law that requires state agencies to conduct business in open and public meetings. The law aims to increase transparency and accountability in government.
Available information
All agency records are subject to the Right-to-Know Law.
However, not all records are public records. The law contains 30 exceptions, cited in Section 708, that permit an Agency to withhold records.
An Agency may deny release of a record if it falls within one of the 30 exceptions designed to protect information that is confidential or may jeopardize safety or investigations.
Types of records that can be withheld include records related to personal or public security, DNA/RNA records, Social Security numbers, personal financial information, personal email addresses, marital status, identity of a covert law enforcement officer, home address of judges or law enforcement, confidential source records, and victim information.
Other laws also make certain records non-public.
Anyone can make a request
When submitting a request to the Agency, always retain a copy for your file. A copy of this RTK request would be necessary if you should need to file an appeal to our Office upon denial. If you do not have a copy of the actual request, your appeal will be dismissed as insufficient.
The first thing a requester should do to file a RTK request is check with the local or Commonwealth Agency to determine the Open Records Officer (each agency is required by law to have one) and whether the agency requires use of its own Right-to-Know request form.
You can always use the Uniform Request Form available on our website to file a request. Address your request to the Open Records Officer. Some agencies use the term Right-to-Know Officer.
Make sure your request for records is specific and concise. Identify as specifically as you can the records you want, so that an agency can quickly locate them and determine whether they are public record.
Pennsylvania Laws
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