Right to Know Law Requests

The Borough of Wilkinsburg’s Council approved an ordinance to meet the requirements of the State’s Right to Know Law. You can learn more about the law and how to make a request for information from the Office of Open Records.

In order to submit a Right-to-Know Law request, complete the following form:

 Click Here to Download a Right to Know Law Request Form

You can file a RTK request in four ways:

• Email
• Fax
• U.S. Mail
• In Person

No matter how you submit the request, be sure to address it to the Agency Open Records Officer.

Tips for Filing a Request

Make sure your request for records is specific and concise. Identify the records you want as specifically as you can, so that an agency can quickly locate them and determine whether they are public record.

Don’t ask questions. The RTKL is designed to provide access to records; it does not require agencies to answer questions. For example, do not submit a RTK request saying, “Why didn’t my street get plowed until a day after the latest snow storm?” A better RTK request would be, “I’m seeking records regarding the snowplowing schedule in this municipality. If possible, specific records related to the snowplowing schedule for Main Street would be ideal.”

Filing a request is always free, but you may be required to pay certain fees before receiving or inspecting your records.

Finally, when submitting a RTK request to an agency, always retain a copy for your file. A copy of your RTK request will be necessary if you’re denied access to any records and decide to file an appeal to the Office of Open Records. If you don’t have a copy of the request, the OOR has no choice but to dismiss the appeal as insufficient.
 

What to do if Your Request is Denied or Deemed Denied

If you submit a Right-to-Know request and your request is denied, you can file an appeal with the Office of Open Records. There is no fee, and you do not need an attorney.

All appeals must be made in writing and must be submitted to the Office of Open Records within 15 business days from the mailing date of the Agency’s response or the date that the request was deemed denied. If that timeframe expires before you provide the required information to the OOR, you lose your right to appeal and may need to file a new RTK request with the Agency.

The OOR strongly recommends that appeals be submitted through the online version of the official OOR Appeal Form.

If that’s not possible, the OOR also accepts appeals via email, fax, postal mail, and in-person submission.

Appeals submitted via email should be attached as a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF file.

Email Attachment Formats: Appeals filed via email may include PDF, Microsoft Word (doc, docx, or rtf), Microsoft Excel (xls or xlsx), and image file (jpg, png, gif, or tiff) attachments. If an appeal to be filed via email includes an attachment of any other format, call the Office of Open Records (717-346-9903) before sending it. Any other formats may be rejected by Commonwealth servers.

Email Attachment Filesize: If an appeal to be filed via e-mail includes an attachment exceeding 4MB, call the Office of Open Records (717-346-9903) before sending it. Attachments exceeding 4MB may be rejected by Commonwealth servers.

Appeals may also be submitted via fax (717-425-5343) or postal mail:

Pennsylvania Office of Open Records
555 Walnut Street, Suite 605
Harrisburg, PA 17101

In-person submissions are accepted at the Office of Open Records during normal business hours.

The deadline for an appeal submitted electronically (email or fax) is 11:59:59 p.m. on the 15th business day from the mailing date of the Agency’s response or the date that the request was deemed denied. For in-person submissions and submissions via postal mail, the deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the 15th business day.

What Happens After You File an Appeal

When the Office of Open Records receives an appeal, a docket number is assigned, an Appeals Officer is assigned, and both the requester and the agency are sent a letter containing important information about the appeal process.

A binding Final Determination will be issued pursuant to the timeline required by the RTKL. In most cases, that means within 30 calendar days.