Open Records

Open Records Requests

In the spirit of transparency BCWSA makes all documents and records open to our customers and the public in accordance with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania law. “Ensuring open and honest government is a bedrock principle of democracy. It can only be attained through the unfettered exchange of information between citizens and their government.

A citizen’s right-to-know, sometimes known as freedom of information, fosters accountability, prevents abuses of power and promotes trust in government. Pennsylvania has codified this important right to access government records in Act 3 of 2008, called the Right-to-Know law.” – Pennsylvania Office of Open Records

Requesting

Below is a form to submit your open records request. The form will auto-generate a PDF that will be sent to the BCWSA, and a copy will also be sent to you at the email address provided in the form below. Make sure to check your SPAM folder as auto generated emails will sometimes be sent there.

Before contacting the Open Records Officer of BCWSA, please make sure that your Open Record Request Form is properly and fully filled out. It is required by law that this form is correct before any information can be forwarded to the public.

Open Records Request

Office of Open Records Fee Structure

Section 1307 of the Right-To-Know Law (RTKL) requires the Office of Open Records (OOR) to establish a fee structure for Commonwealth agencies and local agencies. The RTKL requires the OOR to review the fee structure biannually.

RTKL Fee Structure

Fee Limitations: Except as otherwise provided by statute, the law states that no other fees may be imposed unless the agency necessarily incurs costs for complying with the request, and such fees must be reasonable. No fee may be imposed for an agency’s review of a record to determine whether the record is a public record, legislative record or financial record subject to access in accordance with this Act. No fee may be charged for searching for or retrieval of documents. An agency may not charge staff time or salary for complying with a RTK request.

Prepayment: Prior to granting a request for access in accordance with this Act, an agency may require a requester to prepay an estimate of the fees authorized under this section if the fees required to fulfill the request are expected to exceed $100.

Once the request is fulfilled and prepared for release, the Office of Open Records recommends that the agency obtain the cost of the records prior to releasing the records. This recommendation is designed to avoid situations in which the agency provides the records and the requester fails to submit payment.

If you have any questions or need more information please contact the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at 717-346-9903 or openrecords@state.pa.us.