Sample CPRA request letter
resources
ACCESS TO RECORDS
Sample CPRA Request Letter
Date
Name of Agency
Address
RE: Public Records Act Request
To Whom it May Concern:
This is a request made under the California Public Records Act, Government Code sections 7920.000 – 7931.000, for records in the possession or control of your agency.
I am seeking [to inspect or copy, this is your choice] to: [Provide as much detail as possible to describe the records you are seeking. If you are seeking copies of electronic records and wish to receive them in their native electronic format, state that in your request, because an agency is not required to produce them in native format without such a request]
Please keep in mind your agency’s obligations under the law require you to:
- Respond within 10 calendar days.
- [If you are seeking electronic records in native format] Produce electronic records in the format in which you hold them.
- Help me to make a focused and effective request by (1) identifying records and information that are responsive, (2) describing the information technology and physical location in which the records exist and (3) providing suggestions for overcoming any practical issues.
- Segregate or redact any exempt information contained within a record so that the public information in the remainder of the record may be released.
- Broadly construe all provisions that further the public’s right of access, and apply any limitations on access as narrowly as possible, per Article 1, Section 3(b)(2) of the California Constitution.
- Provide a written justification for any denial of this request, in whole or in part, stating the specific exemptions from disclosure that you assert and the name and title or position of each person responsible for the denial.
I ask that you notify me of any costs exceeding $[set a dollar amount] before you incur them, so that I may decide which records I want copied.
Thank you for your timely attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[NAME UNLESS YOU WISH TO MAKE THE REQUEST ANONYMOUSLY]
[CONTACT INFO]
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13 Comments
Paul, check it out now. Our legal team made some updates!
Can you send me the updated language..
Need a CHP Dashcam video for a bogus citation..
Where is the latest update? Need to request records from a California community college. Although the records are about me the college has denied the records by various means including intimidation by the campus police.
Where is the latest sample letter?
Glad we could help!
Glad it is useful for you.
?
It can be emailed to most agencies, but you may want to check with the specific agency you are contacting to see if they publish any directions, such as how to reach the public records custodian.
Dave, thanks for the question. We published this sample response letter amid the pandemic, when some agencies were citing that as a reason to not process requests. This may be a start https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2020/03/covid-19-sample-pra-response-letter/.
If you haven’t already, use our free Legal Hotline to submit a request for how to go about this and what the law may provide. To contact the Legal Hotline, which is free for all to use, go here: https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/legal-hotline/.
Please reach out via our free Legal Hotline. https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/legal-hotline/
Please reach out via our free legal hotline. https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/legal-hotline/
Joe,
Our free Legal Hotline can help you. https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/legal-hotline/. Use that form to tell our staff attorneys what records you are seeking and the response you got so they can help you move forward.