Public Records Frequently Asked Questions
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Still have questions? Contact:
Public Records
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1 City Hall Square
Room 615Boston, MA 02201
Submitting a Request
Any record that is made or received by a government entity or employee is presumed to be a public record unless a specific statutory exemption permits or requires it to be withheld in whole or in part.
We strongly encourage you to submit a request electronically through GovQA, our records request portal. Once you create an account, you may use the portal to track all requests and access records. You may also send an email to publicrecords@boston.gov with your request or visit the Registry on the second floor of City Hall to submit a request in person. However, please be advised that we use GovQA to track and process all requests, regardless of how the request is received.
Telephone requests may be accepted at the discretion of the records access officer. However, we strongly recommend that you submit a written request electronically through GovQA.
Your request should be as detailed as possible and should include a reasonable description of the records sought so that the City can identify and locate them promptly. If possible, your request description should include specific terms or titles of records, dates or date ranges, locations, specific email addresses, and other details to help the City identify potentially responsive records.
| Record Types | Department Located |
| Building permit files, applications, plans, and inspection reports | Inspectional Services |
| Fire incident reports | Boston Fire Department |
| Voter registration statistics and precinct lists, election results, vote totals, campaign finance reports, and census data | Elections |
| 311 calls or complaints about a specific subject or location | Boston 311 |
| Body-worn cameras, video footage, police reports | Boston Police Department |
*RFPs & Project Bid Information (not in one, individual dept because all departments have their respective projects’ information)
Timeframe and Response
The City must provide an initial response within 10 business days of receiving the request. If a complete response cannot be provided by that time, the City may file an extension of 15 additional business days with detailed explanation.
The Public Records Department does not warehouse the records that requesters seek. Public Records reaches out to the relevant City departments to identify and locate records that are potentially responsive to your request.
You will receive an email notifying you that a response has been provided to your request.
The City delivers records electronically unless otherwise requested. If you would like printed copies, the cost of black and white paper copies of documents is $.05 per page.
If your request is too broad, vague, the record doesn’t exist, or requires us to review an unreasonable volume of reports, your request maybe denied. To avoid denying your request, the Public Records team may ask you to provide additional information to conduct a more efficient search.
We may ask that you provide a more detailed context as well as a specific time frame relevant to your request. For example, someone may request to see footage of a car accident without specifying the date, time, or exact location of the accident. This would require us to seek more specific information to assist you.
Most requests result in a small number of records. However, if your request returns a large volume and will require a significant amount of time to process, you will be issued a fee estimate within 10 business days of submitting your request. Before this fee is assessed and charged, the Public Records team will likely reach out to you in hopes of modifying the scope of your request to reduce or eliminate the fee.
Learn More About Public Records Fees
Appeals
You may appeal a denial, lack of response, or unsatisfactory response to the Supervisor of Records in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth within 90 days of the denial. G.L. c. 66, § 10A(a); 950 C.M.R. 32.08. You may also appeal to the Superior Court. G.L. c. 66, § 10A(c).
Other Questions
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal law that only applies to federal agencies and not the City of Boston. The Public Records department works, first and foremost, along the guidelines established under Massachusetts Public Records Law (M. G. L. c. 66, § 10)
Requests for BPD should be submitted to the Police Department section on the Public Records Center Main Page.
Requests for BPS should be submitted to the Public Records section on the Public Records Center Main Page.
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Still have questions? Contact:
Public Records
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1 City Hall Square
Room 615Boston, MA 02201
