Public Records Requests

Guidelines for Submitting Public Records Requests

• Consider how you can narrow the scope of your request to expedite the production process.  The first four hours of work performed to respond to a Public Records Request will be performed at no cost. After that, the MWRA may charge up to $25 per hour or more if the supervisor of records approves a charge in excess of $25 per hour.  The supervisor of records may approve a petition from the MWRA to charge more than $25 per hour if the request is for a commercial purpose or if the fee is reasonable and meets other requirements under the law.

• Public agencies/authorities must adhere to the law requiring them to redact personally identifiable information and prevent unwarranted invasions of privacy.  Documents containing such information must be redacted carefully before releasing, expanding time needed for production.  Some examples of personally identifiable information include an MWRA employee’s discipline record, medical record, home address, home telephone number and social security number.  All are exempt from disclosure and all would require redaction under the law.  Consider how you might revise your Public Records Request to exclude records containing such information.

• Many records are available to the public free of charge online on this website. The public can access those records through our Transparency Page. Also, you can search by key word through the “Search” tool on the Home Page.