How to File a Dauphin County Public Records Request
The county uses a standard Right-to-Know request form and a designated open-records officer. You describe the records you want with enough detail for staff to find them, then submit the form by email, mail, or in person. The county directs general records requests to its Open Records Officer and routes criminal-record questions to the District Attorney's office.
Be specific. A clear request gets a faster answer than a broad one. Name the office, the date range, and the type of document where you can. A vague request can be denied as too broad, or it can trigger an extension while staff sort out what you mean. A focused request avoids both problems.
You do not have to explain why you want a record. The law lets any person request agency records without stating a reason. You also do not have to be a Pennsylvania resident, though some rules differ for out-of-state requesters. The form and the open-records officer handle the routing once you submit.
- Identify the records and the office that likely holds them.
- Complete the county Standard Right-to-Know request form.
- State whether you want to inspect records or receive copies.
- Submit the form to the Open Records Officer by email, mail, or in person.
- Watch for a response within the legal time frame, or an extension notice.
The Right-to-Know Law in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, found at 65 P.S. Sections 67.101 and following, gives the public access to agency records. It presumes records are public unless an exemption applies, and it sets the steps for requests, denials, fees, and appeals. Dauphin County carries out the law through a local open-records officer and a standard form.
The county names Vince Paese as its Open Records Officer for non-criminal records. The office takes the standard form and routes it to the right department. Criminal-record and investigative requests go instead to the District Attorney's Right-to-Know officer, a split the county spells out on its open-records page. The law also lets agencies set reasonable policies for how requests are received, so using the county's own form is the cleanest way to file.
Dauphin County Open Records
PO Box 1295
Harrisburg, PA 17108
(717) 780-6300
openrecords@dauphincounty.gov
What Records the County Holds
The county keeps a wide range of records beyond the courts. The elected row offices and departments each hold their own files. Knowing the office shortens your search and helps you aim a request at the right place. Some records, like deeds and property documents, sit with other county offices entirely, so a quick call can confirm the right custodian before you file.
- Civil court records - filed with the Prothonotary.
- Criminal and juvenile records - kept by the Clerk of Courts.
- Estate and marriage records - held by the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court.
- Administrative records - budgets, contracts, and agency documents under the Right-to-Know Law.
- Prison records - certain jail records released under open-records rules.
Court Records vs Agency Records
This is the key distinction. Court case records do not move through the Right-to-Know process. They follow the Unified Judicial System's public-access policy and the rules of court, and you get them from the clerk or the court portal. Agency records, like county contracts or budgets, do go through the Right-to-Know Law.
| Point | Court Records | Agency Records |
|---|---|---|
| Governing rule | UJS public-access policy | Right-to-Know Law |
| Where to ask | Clerk or court portal | County open-records officer |
| Appeal path | Through the courts | Office of Open Records |
For court files, start on the court records page instead of filing a Right-to-Know request.
Right-to-Know Request Form Fields
The county's standard form asks for your contact details and a clear description of the records. The inventory below lists the fields. Note that a completed request can itself become a public record.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requester name | Text | Yes | The person submitting the request. |
| Organization | Text | Optional | Used when requesting for an entity. |
| Address | Text | Yes | Mailing address and city, state, ZIP. |
| Email / phone | Text | Optional | Email the form to the open-records address. |
| Records requested | Multiline | Yes | Describe the records with enough detail. |
| Copies or inspection | Choice | Optional | State your preferred format. |
Response Times and Extensions
The law sets a clock. A Pennsylvania agency generally has five business days to respond to a Right-to-Know request. It can grant access, deny the request, or invoke an extension. An extension applies when the agency needs legal review, redaction, more staff time, a large volume of records, or records stored elsewhere.
A response is not always the records themselves. The agency may grant the request in part, deny it in part, and explain any exemptions it claims. If the deadline passes with no answer, the law treats that as a denial you can appeal.
The five-day clock counts business days, not calendar days, so weekends and holidays do not count. When an agency invokes an extension, it must say so in writing and give a date by which it will respond. Tracking these dates matters, because the appeal window starts from the response or the deemed denial. Keep a copy of your request and any reply.
Fees for Public Records
Most Right-to-Know fees are based on copy costs set by an official fee schedule. Court copy and certification fees are set separately by court and county fee bills. The table shows sample county copy charges drawn from official fee lists. Confirm current amounts with the office before you pay.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Prison open records, per page | $0.25 |
| Prison copies, per page | $0.15 |
| Certified copy, 5 pages or fewer | $10.00 |
| Each additional page | $1.00 |
| Records search fee, per name | $55.00 |
Appeals to the Office of Open Records
A denial is not the end. For non-criminal records, you can appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, which reviews the agency's decision. The county page lists the appeal address and the fax line. Criminal investigative appeals follow a different path, handled by a District Attorney appeals officer.
The Office of Open Records posts the appeal process and forms. File within the deadline the law sets, and include the original request and the agency's response. The appeals officer reviews the record, the exemptions claimed, and your argument, then issues a written decision. If you disagree with that ruling, the next step is generally an appeal to the courts. Most requesters never need to go that far, since a clear request often resolves at the agency level.
Note: A deemed denial, where an agency misses its deadline, can be appealed the same way as a written denial under the Right-to-Know Law.
Confidential and Exempt Records
Not every record is public. The Right-to-Know Law and other statutes exempt many categories, including certain personal identifiers, investigative material, and records protected by privacy law. Court rules also keep some case data confidential, such as juvenile records and sealed matters, which never open through a Right-to-Know request.
When an agency withholds a record, it must point to the exemption it relies on. That gives you something concrete to challenge on appeal if you think the exemption does not apply.
Common exemptions cover personal financial information, certain home addresses, security plans, and records tied to a noncriminal or criminal investigation. Redaction is also common, where an agency releases a document but blacks out exempt parts rather than withholding the whole file. A partial release with redactions is still a response you can question if the redactions seem too broad.
Criminal Records Requests
Criminal-record requests take a separate route in Dauphin County. The county sends these to the District Attorney's Right-to-Know officer rather than the general open-records officer. For court dockets and case files, the arrest records and court records pages explain the public search tools.
For a full statewide criminal-history check, the request goes through the Pennsylvania State Police, which runs the formal background system. A county docket search is not the same as that check. The county also names a District Attorney appeals officer for criminal-record appeals, separate from the Office of Open Records that hears non-criminal appeals. Sending a criminal-record request to the right office from the start saves time and avoids a bounce between departments.