FAQs • Westmoreland County, PA • CivicEngage

Can Westmoreland County charge additional fees?: Generally, no. The law states that, “except as otherwise provided by statute, 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.”
If a separate statute authorizes an agency to charge a set amount for a certain type of record, the agency may charge no more than that statutory amount. For example, a Recorder of Deeds may charge a copy fee of 50 cents per uncertified page and $1.50 per certified page under 42 P.S. § 21051.
However, there are fees for certain records not specifically addressed by the Open Records Law. These are all listed on the Westmoreland County Open Records Fee Structure page.

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Open Records Request

1. How do I make a request for information from Westmoreland County?: You can make a request four ways: Mail, fax, email, or in person. The address, fax number as well as a request form are listed on the Open Records home page.

2. Can Westmoreland County ask why I am requesting records?: No. The law prohibits a public body from requiring a person "to disclose the purpose or motive in requesting the records".

3. Can a request be denied because the requestor is not a citizen of Pennsylvania?: No. Any legal resident of the United States can request a record, including a person with a green card.

4. Can Westmoreland County charge me for copying records?: Yes, there is a fee structure based on regulations set by the PA Office of Open Records.

5. Can Westmoreland County charge additional fees?: Generally, no. The law states that, “except as otherwise provided by statute, 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.”
If a separate statute authorizes an agency to charge a set amount for a certain type of record, the agency may charge no more than that statutory amount. For example, a Recorder of Deeds may charge a copy fee of 50 cents per uncertified page and $1.50 per certified page under 42 P.S. § 21051.
However, there are fees for certain records not specifically addressed by the Open Records Law. These are all listed on the Westmoreland County Open Records Fee Structure page.

6. Are emails public record? [Section 102]: Yes. That does not mean there is wholesale release of email records. It means that an email, like any other record, goes through the same analysis to determine whether it is a public record.

7. Can Westmoreland County limit the number of requests that a citizen can make?: No. The law states that a state or local agency cannot limit “the number of records which may be requested or made available for inspection or duplication.”
However, citizens should use good judgment in seeking records from the public body and not use this law to harass or overburden a public body from performing its job.
Also, a public body can deny repeated requests for the same records by the same request. [Section 506]

8. Can a requestor ask for records in person?: Yes. However, if a person wishes to take advantage of the appeal process, the request must be in writing.

9. Can a requestor ask for records by telephone?: No. A public body could provide information in this way if they so choose, but they are not required to.