Open Records
Overview
The York Township Open Records Office is responsible for reviewing all Right-to-Know requests to the Township.
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law
Governor Edward G. Rendell signed Act 3 of 2008 known as the Right-to-Know law on February 14, 2008, fundamentally changing the way people access public records of their government.
The full law and other information are available from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records
York Township's Public Records Policy
The York Township Board of Commissioners recognizes the importance of public records as the record of the Township's actions and the repository of information about this Township. On December 9, 2008, the Board of Commissioners adopted the York Township Public Records Policy. The public has the right to access and procure copies of public records, with certain exceptions, subject to law, Board policy and administrative regulations.
Guidelines
- Requesters may access and procure copies of the public records of the Township during regular business hours of the administration offices.
- A requester’s right of access does not include the right to remove a record from the control of supervision of the Open Records Officer.
- The Township shall not limit the number of records requested.
- When responding to a request for access, the Township is not required to create a record that does not exist nor to compile, maintain, format or organize a record in a manner which the Township does not currently use.
- Information shall be made available to individuals with disabilities in an appropriate format, upon request and with sufficient advance notice.
Submitting a Request
- Requests will only be fulfilled if submitted by a person that is a legal resident of the United States. Anonymous requests will not be fulfilled.
- A written request for access to a public record shall be submitted on the required form(s) above and addressed to the Open Records Officer.
- Written requests may be submitted to the Township in person, by mail and via email to the Open Records Officer.
Each request must include the following information:
- Identification for description of the requested record, in specific and sufficient detail to identify the record.
- Medium in which the record is requested
- Name and address of the individual to receive the Township’s response.
- The Township shall not require an explanation of the reason for the request or the intended use of the requested record, unless otherwise required by law.
Township Response Upon Receiving Request:
- Upon receipt of a written request for access to a record, the Open Records Officer shall determine if the requested record is a public record and if the Township has possession, custody or control of that record.
- The Open Records Officer shall respond as promptly as possible under the existing circumstances, and the initial response time shall not exceed five (5) business days from the date the written request is received by the Open Records Officer.
- The initial response shall grant access to the requested record; deny access to the requested record; partially grant and partially deny access to the requested record; notify the requester of the need for an extension of time to fully respond; or request more detail from the requester to clearly identify the requested material.
- If the Township fails to respond to a request within the five (5) business days of receipt, the request for access shall be deemed denied.
Fees
- Except for the duplication fee established by the state, the Board shall approve a list of reasonable fees relative to requests for public records. The Township shall maintain a list of applicable fees and disseminate the list to requesters.
- No fee may be imposed for review of the record to determine whether the record is subject to access under law.
- Prior to granting access, the Township may require prepayment of estimated fees when the fees required to fulfill the request are expected to exceed $100.
- Click here to view/download the current fee schedule.
Contact Open Records Officer
190 Oak Road
Dallastown, PA 17313
Phone: (717) 741-3861 x127
