Effective: January 1, 2009
Last updated: March 5, 2025
The City of Philadelphia has adopted a policy to comply with the Commonwealth’s Act 3 of 2008, 65 P.S. §§ 67.101 et seq., commonly known as the Right-to-Know Law. With certain exceptions, members of the public have the right to inspect and/or copy public records upon written request.
1. Definitions
Right-to-Know Law. Act 3 of 2008, 65 P.S. §§ 67.101 et seq.
Business day. Monday through Friday 8:30 AM through 4:30 PM, except those days when the City of Philadelphia, the main office of the Law Department, or the office, department, board, or commission to which a request is submitted is closed. For the purpose of this Open Records Policy, City Agencies are closed when any of the following applies:
- The City, the Law Department, or the particular City Department, Board, Office, or Commission operates on an “essential services only” basis;
- The City, the main office of the Law Department, or the particular City Department, Board, Office, or Commission is closed for four or more hours during regular business hours; or
- The City, the main office of the Law Department, or the particular City Department, Board, Office, or Commission closes for any portion of regular business hours on an emergency basis.
Public Record. Any document that satisfies the general definition of “public record” set forth in the Right-to-Know Law and does not fall within any of the exceptions set forth therein, as the definition and exceptions are amended from time to time and as the definition and exceptions are interpreted by state, federal, and/or local courts.
Open Records Officer. An official or employee of the City of Philadelphia officially assigned responsibility for receiving, tracking, and responding to requests for information under the Right-to-Know Law. The City of Philadelphia may designate a Deputy or Secondary Open Records Officer to act in the absence of an Open Records Officer.
Requester. A person who requests a record under the Right-to-Know Law.
Office of Open Records. The State Office, under the Department of Economic and Community Development, as explained in §1310 of the Right-to-Know Law. The Office of Open Records shall be responsible for many duties, including (but not limited to): issuing advisory opinions; training agencies and public employees; assigning appeals officers to review decisions; and conducting a biannual review of fees allowed under the Right-to-Know Law.
2. Open Records Officer
Please see below for the Open Records Officer specific to each City Department, Board, Office, or Commission. If no Open Records Officer is listed, please direct the request to the Open Records Officer for the City Law Department (Office of the City Solicitor). Please indicate the City Department, Board, Office, or Commission the request seeks records from. Please note that some independently elected officials—including the District Attorney’s Office—may have their own separate and distinct policies. You should consult their respective websites for information specific to their offices, including information concerning their respective Open Records Officers.
The City Law Department is not authorized to accept Right-to-Know Requests on behalf of the Philadelphia District Attorney. The Office of the District Attorney maintains a separate Open Records Policy; requests for that office should be directed to the Open Records Officer for the Office of the District Attorney.
Directing Requests:
- The City Law Department represents the City on all Right-to-Know matters. Requests from lawyers or law firms must be directed to the Open Records Officer for the City Law Department and should indicate the Office, Department, Board and/or Commission the request is seeking records from.
- Audio/Video Records from the Philadelphia Police Department – Requests for audio, visual, or bodycam records from the Philadelphia Police Department must be made in-person or via certified mail following the instructions in 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 67A(3) (aka Act 22). Such requests are not processed under the RTKL. See 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 67A(2)(a); 65 P.S. §§ 67.305, 67.3101.1. You may use this form to make a request under Act 22. Requests under this Act should be addressed to: Lieutenant Barry Jacobs, Philadelphia Police Department, Open Records/Right to Know Section, Philadelphia Public Services Building, 400 N. Broad St., 4W-72, Philadelphia, PA 19130.
- Public Safety Reports – Copies of public safety records are available outside the RTK process directly from the Department of Records. Please file these according to the instructions online depending on the type of public safety record you seek. General information and specific report request forms are available at: https://www.phila.gov/services/crime-law-justice/get-a-copy-of-a-public-safety-report/
- Specific reports available through this process include:
- Police incident or offense reports
- Fire reports
- Emergency medical services (EMS) reports
- Police record checks
- Specific reports available through this process include:
- Traffic accident reports – You can get traffic accident reports (also known as crash reports) online by using the online portal at https://crashreports.phila.gov/
Please direct your request to the appropriate City Open Records Officer:
| City Department, Board, Office, or Commission |
Open Records Officer |
| Law Department, Office of the City Solicitor
Phase I Environmental Assessments Any office, board, commission, or department not listed below. If you are not sure where to direct a request, please send it here. |
Margot Smith, Chief Deputy City Solicitor 1515 Arch St., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-5227 RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| City Council
Online resources:
|
Brionna G. Wakefield, Staff Attorney Office of the President, City Councilc/o Law Department Right to Know Unit, 1515 Arch St., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-5008 RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Office of the Controller
Online resources: |
Frank Iannuzzi 1401 JFK Blvd, 12th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-8826 phone RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Office of the City Commissioners
Online resources:
|
Margot Smith, Chief Deputy City Solicitor 1515 Arch St., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-5227 RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Sheriff’s Office | LaVanda K. Harris, Esq., Open Records Officer Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, Undersheriff Unit 100 S. Broad St., 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19110 LaVanda.K.Harris@phila.gov |
| Office of the Chief Administrative Officer | Heather Fay, Executive Assistant Municipal Services Building, 1401 JFK Blvd, Suite 630, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Heather.Fay@phila.gov |
| Department of Sanitation | Maria Vamvakidou, Sanitation Program Administrator Municipal Services Building, 1401 JFK Blvd, MSB7, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Maria.Vamvakidou@phila.gov |
| Philadelphia International Airport | Tameka Felder 8500 Essington Ave, Executive Offices, Third Floor Terminals D-E, Philadelphia, PA 19153 PA 19107 righttoknowlaw@phila.gov |
| Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual Disability Services | Ava Ashley, Health Program Manager 1101 Market St, 7th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 685-5424 righttoknowlaw@phila.gov |
| Board of Ethics | Thomas Klemm, Esq., Staff Attorney 1515 Arch St, 18th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-9463 Thomas.Klemm@phila.gov |
| Board of Pensions & Retirement
Online resources:
|
Shamika Taliaferro, Deputy Director Two Penn Center Plaza, 16th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 496-7426 Shamika.Taliaferro@phila.gov |
| Board of Revision of Taxes | Carla E. Pagan, CPE, Executive Director 601 Walnut St, Ste 325 East, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 686-4343 Carla.Pagan@phila.gov |
| Civil Service Commission | Virna Clay, Administrative Specialist 2 1401 JFK Blvd, Ste 1640, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-2320 Virna.Clay@phila.gov |
| Department of Commerce | Margot Smith, Chief Deputy City Solicitor 1515 Arch St, 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Commission on Human Relations | Karen Forman, Esq., Principal Assistant 601 Walnut St, Ste 300 South, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 686-4891 Karen.Forman@phila.gov |
| Office of the Director of Finance
Budget Office Online resources: |
Elizabeth Hanley, Deputy Finance Director for Administration, Development, and Training Office of the Director of Finance 1401 JFK Blvd, 13th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-6203 Elizabeth.Hanley@phila.gov |
| Department of Public Health
Office of the Health Commissioner Online resources:
|
Tracy Jones, Executive Assistant 1101 Market St, Ste 1320, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 686-5234 Tracy.Jones@phila.gov |
| Department of Public Property | Margot Smith, Chief Deputy City Solicitor 1515 Arch St, 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Department of Revenue | Rahul Sharma, Open Records Officer 1515 Arch St., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-6928 Rahul.Sharma@phila.gov |
| Department of Streets
Online resources:
|
Herbert Lee, Administrative Specialist 2 1401 JFK Blvd, 9th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 herbert.lee@phila.gov |
| Department of Fleet Services | Dr. K Wilson, Administrative Services Director 100 S. Broad St, 3rd Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19110 (215) 686-1844 k.wilson@phila.gov |
| Free Library of Philadelphia | Christina Patton, Assistant to the Chief of Staff 1901 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 686-5306 PattonC@freelibrary.org |
| Division of Housing & Community Development | Margot Smith, Chief Deputy City Solicitor 1515 Arch St., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-5227 RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Department of Labor – Labor Standards Unit | Perritti DiVirgilio, Director of Labor Standards 1401 JFK Blvd, Rm 170, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-2132 perritti.divirgilio@phila.gov |
| Office of Worker Protection | Margot Smith, Chief Deputy City Solicitor 1515 Arch St., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-5227 RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Licenses & Inspections
Online resources:
|
Tia Platts 1401 JFK Blvd, Rm 1130, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-1441 Tia.Platts@phila.gov |
| Managing Director’s Office
Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Office of Special Events Office of Emergency Management Online resources:
|
Kyle Allen 1401 JFK Blvd., Ste 1630, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-4766 Kyle.Allen@phila.gov |
| Office of Innovation & Technology | Steven E. Robertson, Esq., Chief of Staff (215) 686-8268 steven.robertson@phila.gov |
| Office of Clean & Green Initiatives | Mary Stitt, Chief of Staff Municipal Services Building,1401 JFK Blvd., 7th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-2011 Mary.StittKnow@phila.gov |
| Philadelphia Department of Prisons | Gregory J. Vrato, Esq., Director of Policy Compliance & Legal Affairs 7901 State Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19136 (215) 685-7840 Greg.Vrato@prisons.phila.gov |
| Office of the Inspector General | Alexander F. DeSantis 601 Walnut St, Ste 300 East, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 685-1770 Alexander.DeSantis@phila.gov |
| Office of Property Assessment
Online resources:
|
Drew Aldinger, Esq., Deputy Administrator 601 Walnut St, Ste 300 West, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 686-4353 RighttoKnowOPA@phila.gov |
| Office of the Board of Administrative Adjudication | Michael Giunta 1401 JFK Blvd, Ste 630, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-5247 RighttoKnowLaw@phila.gov |
| Office of Homeless Services
Office of Supportive Housing |
Jerome R. Hill Director of Compliance Special Assistant to the Director 1401 JFK Blvd. 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102 OHSRightToKnow@phila.gov |
| Parks & Recreation Commission
|
Ishmail Harris Director of Legal Affairs 1515 Arch St, 10th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 683-3639 PPR_RightToKnow@phila.gov |
| Philadelphia Department of Prisons | Gregory J. Vrato, Esq. Director of Policy Compliance & Legal Affairs 7901 State Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19136 (215) 685-7840 Greg.Vrato@prisons.phila.gov |
| Philadelphia Fire Department
Online resources:
|
Deputy Chief Dennis Merrigan 3061 Island Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19153 (215) 686-1362 Dennis.Merrigan@phila.gov |
| Philadelphia Water Department | Sheilah M. Louis, Esq. 1101 Market Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 683-6139Sheilah.Louis@Phila.Gov |
| Philadelphia Police Department
Online resources:
|
Lieutenant Barry Jacobs Philadelphia Police Department Open Records/Right to Know Section Philadelphia Public Services Building (PPSB) 400 N. Broad St., 4W-72, Philadelphia, PA 19130 (215) 686-3277 police.righttoknow@phila.gov |
| Procurement Department
Online resources:
|
T. David Williams Jr., Esq. Deputy Procurement Commissioner; Director, Professional Services Contracting Procurement Department 1401 JFK Blvd., Suite 100 MSB, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-3499 RightToKnowProcurement@phila.gov |
| Department of Records
Online resources:
|
Lynda Yerkov City Hall Rm 156, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 686-2268 Lynda.Yerkov@phila.gov |
| Sinking Fund Commission | Christopher DiFusco, Esq., Chief Investment Officer 1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 496-7463 Christopher.Difusco@phila.gov |
| Treasurer’s Office | Amanda Robinson, Executive Assistant 1401 JFK Blvd, Ste. 640, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 686-2300 Amanda Robinson@phila.gov |
| Water Revenue Bureau | Arlene Reilly, Data Services Support Clerk 1Municipal Services Building, 2nd Floor (215) 686-6900 Arlene.Reilly@phila.gov |
| Office of the Mayor
Online resources: |
Kathleen Lonie City Hall, Rm 204, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 686-0338 kathleen.lonie@phila.gov |
3. Procedure
The Right-to-Know Law requires that the City of Philadelphia act upon each non-anonymous written request when such request is made in person, by mail, by fax, or by email. The Right-to-Know Law does not require that the City of Philadelphia act upon an oral request, and the City of Philadelphia shall refuse to accept oral requests. Furthermore, the Right-to-Know Law does not require that the City of Philadelphia act upon an anonymous request, and the City of Philadelphia will refuse to honor an anonymous request. Finally, due to IT security risks, the City of Philadelphia will not accept requests where the details of records sought are submitted exclusively via hyperlink, the nor will responsive records be uploaded to an external hyperlink (outside of phila.gov) prior to advance and express arrangements with the Law Department.
Pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law, the State Office of Open Records has created and published on its website a standard statewide form, which must be accepted by the City of Philadelphia for filing a request. (https://www.openrecords.pa.gov/RTKL/Forms.cfm).
Effective February 1, 2012, the City of Philadelphia requires the standard statewide form be used for the submission of Right-to-Know requests, and will not consider a request to be a written request pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law unless the request is submitted on or with the standard statewide form. As of February 1, 2012, the City of Philadelphia considers any request not submitted on or with the standard statewide form to be an informal request not subject to the Right-to-Know Law.[1] If a requester submits a request on or with the standard statewide form after submitting an informal request for the same (or similar) records, the City of Philadelphia will consider the informal request to have been withdrawn. The City of Philadelphia reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to require a written request pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law before releasing records. A copy of the standard statewide form appears at the end of this policy.
The Right-to-Know Law sets forth various specifications for the contents of a written request. To qualify as a written request under the Right-to-Know Law and the City of Philadelphia Open Records Policy the request must be:
- Directed to the appropriate Open Records Officer,
- Submitted on or with the standard statewide form, and
- Contain at least the following information:
-
- Name of requester;
- Contact information of requester (either email address or physical address of requester); and
- Records sought, identified, or described with sufficient specificity to allow the City of Philadelphia to ascertain what records are being requested.
Under the Right-to-Know Law, the City of Philadelphia has a duty to make a good faith effort to determine if the record(s) requested is a public record and to respond as promptly as possible under the circumstances existing at the time of the request; this time shall not exceed five business days from the date the request is received by the relevant Open Records Officer. The Law provides that either a final or interim response be provided to the requester within five business days from the date of receipt by the Department, Board, Office, or Commission. If there is no response within this five-day time period, the Open Records Request is deemed denied.
The Right-to-Know Law and the City of Philadelphia’s policy contemplates that requesters will receive a response within five business days. The Right-to-Know Law, however, does provide the City of Philadelphia with specific reasons that may be invoked to receive a single extension of time that shall not exceed 30 calendar days. If the 30th calendar day falls on a day when the City of Philadelphia is closed, the deadline will be the following business day.
If an extension is asserted and no response is provided to the requester within the 30-day time period, the Open Records Request is deemed denied. Additionally, if the City of Philadelphia notifies the requester it needs more than the maximum 30-day extension, the request is deemed denied unless the requester has agreed in writing to an extension to the date specified in the notice. If the requester agrees to the extension, the request shall be deemed denied on the day following the date specified in the notice if a response is not provided by that date.
The City of Philadelphia’s final response to a request will:
- Grant the request;
- Deny the request;
- Grant the request in part and deny the request in part; or
- Grant the request and redact part of the information provided pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law and/or other applicable federal, state, and local law.
4. Appeals of Denied Requests
If a request for access to a record is denied (in whole or in part) or deemed denied, the requester may file an appeal within 15 business days of the mailing date of the City of Philadelphia’s denial as follows:
Records Other Than Criminal Investigative Records
Appeals of denials related to requests for records other than criminal investigative records must be directed to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records:
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Office of Open Records
333 Market St., 16th Fl
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Criminal Investigative Records
Appeals of denials related to requests for criminal investigative records must be directed to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office within 15 business days of the mailing date of the City of Philadelphia’s denial. Appeals to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office should be directed to the following address: District Attorney’s Office, Civil Litigation Unit, Open Records Appeals Officer, Three South Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3499.
For All Administrative Appeals
Unless the requester agrees otherwise, the Appeals Officer shall make a final determination which shall be mailed to the requester and the City of Philadelphia within 30 days of receipt of the appeal. Should the Appeals Officer fail to issue a ruling within 30 days, the appeal is deemed denied.
Before a final determination is issued, a hearing may be held. The determination by the Appeals Officer shall be a final order. The Appeals Officer shall provide a written explanation of the reasons for the decision to the requester and the City of Philadelphia.
Within 30 days of the mailing date of the final determination of the Appeals Officer, a requester or the City of Philadelphia may file a petition for review or other document(s) as required by rule of court with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
6. Fees and Charges
Fees for duplication of records have been established and posted by the State Office of Open Records. The City of Philadelphia will charge fees consistent with the State Office of Open Records regulations.
The City of Philadelphia reserves the right to impose additional fees if it incurs costs for complying with a request, pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law; such additional fees, when charged, must be reasonable. This includes, but is not limited to, fees for enhanced electronic access and certified copies of documents.
Act 22 Requests for Audio/Video Records from the Philadelphia Police Department
Pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S. § 67A05(d), the Philadelphia Police Department has established the following fees for costs incurred in the processing of Act 22 requests which are granted or granted in part:
- $125.00 per recording produced, plus $200.00 per additional hour (beyond the first hour) of labor required for review, redaction, and production of the requested recording(s).
- Additional fees of up to actual cost may be imposed for postage or production via flash drive, or production by means other than email or electronic delivery.
The City will provide a requester notice of estimated fees for the production of recordings at the time of the final response to the request. Payment of fees is required at the time of disclosure. Fees may be paid by check or money order, payable to the City of Philadelphia.
This Act 22 fee schedule is subject to periodic review and amendment.
7. Written Policies and Regulations
The City of Philadelphia and each Open Records Officer shall retain the discretion and authority to adopt any other written policies that are consistent with the Right-to-Know Law, and these policies, as amended from time to time, that they deem to be necessary or prudent, consistent with the Right-to-Know Law.
View the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records Standard Right-to-Know Law Request Form (PDF).