Pennsylvania · Right-to-Know Law

The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, Office of Open Records appeals included

AccessPoint manages Right-to-Know Law requests under 65 P.S. §§ 67.101–67.3104 — the five-business-day response, the Section 708(b) exceptions, and the binding Office of Open Records appeal — pre-configured for Pennsylvania and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Pennsylvania at a glance

Response standard
Respond in writing within 5 business days; silence is a deemed denial (§ 67.901)
Extension
Up to 30 days more on written notice for stated reasons — legal review, off-site or archived records (§ 67.902)
Appeal
To the Office of Open Records within 15 business days; binding final determination in 30 days (§ 67.1101)
Exceptions
30 enumerated exceptions in Section 708(b) (§ 67.708)
Charges
Up to 25 cents per page; no charge for legal or agency review (§ 67.1307)
Oversight
Pennsylvania Office of Open Records

Built for Pennsylvania

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

RTKL request lifecycle

Intake to release under the Right-to-Know Law (65 P.S. §§ 67.101–67.3104) — the written five-business-day response, the granted, denied, or extended decision, and the appeal file — all on Microsoft 365.

Office of Open Records appeals

A denial or deemed denial can go to the Office of Open Records within 15 business days. AccessPoint tracks the window, assembles the appeal record, and manages the file to the OOR's binding final determination in 30 days.

The 5-business-day clock

Respond in writing within five business days or the request is deemed denied; a further 30 days is available on written notice for stated reasons — both computed and reminded for you.

Exceptions and redaction

Apply the 30 Section 708(b) exceptions line by line, with the agency bearing the burden of proof, on a colour-coded, audit-trailed redaction record.

Duplication charges

Charge under Section 1307 — up to 25 cents per page for a standard copy, with no fee for legal or agency review — and issue a good-faith estimate before large jobs.

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

The Office of Open Records appeal

In Pennsylvania, a denial isn't the last word — the Office of Open Records can order the record released.

The Right-to-Know Law gives requesters a fast, low-cost appeal that most states lack. When an agency denies a request, or lets the five-business-day clock run out as a deemed denial, the requester has fifteen business days to appeal to the Office of Open Records. An appeals officer reviews the record, can order in camera inspection, and issues a final determination within thirty days that binds both sides — an enforceable order on the thirty-first day unless a party appeals to court. AccessPoint tracks the appeal window, assembles the record, and manages the file to the final determination.

15-business-day window The deadline to appeal a denial or deemed denial, tracked from the response.
Binding final determination The OOR's ruling within 30 days, enforceable on the 31st day.
Court review Commonwealth Court for state agencies, Common Pleas for local ones.

Configured out of the box

Installing the us-pa-rtkl configuration pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (65 P.S. §§ 67.101–67.3104) as the legal-authority and citation spine
  • The Pennsylvania state-holiday calendar and the 5-business-day response and 30-day extension due-date rules
  • The Office of Open Records appeal workflow — the 15-business-day window, the appeal record, and tracking to the final determination
  • The 30 Section 708(b) exceptions, colour-coded for redaction, with the agency's burden of proof noted
  • Section 1307 duplication charges, including the 25-cent-per-page standard copy and the no-fee review rule
  • Deemed-denial tracking so a missed 5-business-day response is flagged before it becomes a denial
  • Pennsylvania timeliness tracking across the response, extension, and appeal stages
  • RTKL correspondence templates with statutory wording, including the standard request form

Pennsylvania Questions

When must a Pennsylvania agency respond to a request?
An agency must respond in writing within 5 business days of receiving a written request. If it does not, the request is deemed denied. The agency may take up to 30 additional days on written notice for stated reasons — such as legal review or off-site records. AccessPoint computes the 5-business-day point and the extension and reminds you before each.

What makes Pennsylvania different — the Office of Open Records appeal?
Yes. A requester who is denied, or deemed denied, may appeal to the Office of Open Records within 15 business days. An appeals officer reviews the record and issues a final determination within 30 days that binds both the agency and the requester, and becomes an enforceable order on the 31st day unless appealed to court. AccessPoint manages the window, the appeal record, and the file to the determination.

What can an agency charge?
Charges follow Section 1307 — up to 25 cents per page for a standard copy, plus postage and certification at set rates, with no fee for legal or agency review; a requester can be asked to prepay when the estimate exceeds $100. AccessPoint computes the charge to the fee schedule and issues the estimate.

Where does data reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Run the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law in One Platform

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