Open Records

Mission

To advance the County's commitment to open government by administering proper access to public records under the control of the Board of Commissioners.

Purpose

To apply the County's Right-to-Know Policy in order to help citizens avail themselves of the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL).

  • Process records requests in accordance with the RTKL
  • Coordinate searches for requested records among the various departments of the Butler County Government 
  • Make determinations about whether requested records are public under the RTKL
  • Issue timely responses to requests
  • Transmit granted records to requesters

Make an Open Records Request

  1. Review the Butler County Right-to-Know Policy (PDF); for additional assistance, we suggest utilizing the Pennsylvania Citizen Guide to Open Records created by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.
  2. Identify as specifically as possible the records you want. The RTKL defines a record as "information, regardless of physical form or characteristics, that documents a transaction or activity of an agency and that is created, received or retained pursuant to law or in connection with a transaction, business or activity of the agency."
  3. Complete a Right-To-Know Request Form (PDF)
  4. Address your requests to the appropriate Open Records Office and deliver in person, through the mail, via fax, or via e-mail using the link provided under "Contact Us."

For requests to the Butler County Administration and areas of County Government where there is no Deputy Open Records Officer designated, please contact Maria Malloy, of Open Records.

Records Published on the Website

Some public records are available on the County's website; a RTK request is not needed to access the following public records:

Agency Boundaries

Records under the control of the Board of Commissioners document the various activities, business, and transactions of the County government and its departments:

  • Board of Commissioners
  • Bureau of Elections*
  • Economic Development
  • Emergency Services/911
  • Facilities and operations
  • Information Technology
  • Human Resources
  • Human Services
  • Mapping
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Planning
  • Prison
  • Property & Tax Assessment
  • Purchasing
  • Recycling and Waste Management
  • Veteran Services

Butler County Open Records also processes requests for certain records on behalf of the following row offices:

  • Controller
  • Sheriff
  • Treasurer

*Elections Records

While a RTKL request submitted to Butler County Open Records is the appropriate method for seeking records under the control of the Board of Commissioners that document administration of the Bureau of Elections, the RTKL does not apply to certain records of elections. See Butler County v. Cornetti, Butler Cnty Ct. Com. Pl., AD No. 2022-10259 (Memorandum Opinion dated September 30, 2022). 

Accordingly, the Bureau of Elections maintains certain records that are governed by the Pennsylvania Election Code (25 P.S. § 2648), the Pennsylvania Voter Registration Act (25 Pa.C.S. § 1101, et seq.), and applicable regulations. Because those laws establish procedures for obtaining certain types of elections-related records, the Butler County Bureau of Elections controls and administers access to such records separate from the open records policy Butler County utilizes to comply with the RTKL. More information regarding how to request records directly from the Bureau of Elections can be found on the Bureau's webpage.

Please note that access to certain records under the control of the Bureau of Elections may be restricted by law to registered voters of the County.

Court of Common Pleas / Open Records

The RTKL defines "judicial agency" as "a court of the Commonwealth or any other entity or office of the unified judicial system." Judicial agencies are required to provide access to financial records in accordance with the Unified Judicial System's Rule 509 and access to other records in accordance with the Unified Judicial System's Public Records Access rules and policies.

Decisions authored by the Supreme Court, the Commonwealth Court, and the Office of Open Records have identified the following as "judicial agencies" under the RTKL:

  • Courts / Unified Judicial System, including court administrative staff
  • Clerks of Court
  • Clerks of Orphan's Court
  • County Domestic Relations Offices
  • County Probation Offices
  • Prothonotaries

Court records are available from the filing office of each individual court.  For example:

For Court Open Records information that does not fall within the above guidelines, the only administrative Court records available follow Pennsylvania 509 Rules of Judicial Administration and can be requested from the Court Administrator.

Records Relating to a Criminal Investigation

The County District Attorney’s Office maintains its own Open Records Office. Requests for open records related to criminal investigations should be directed to the Open Records Officer for the District Attorney.

Elected Offices

For more information from our various county officials, see the Elected Officials page.

Appeals

To appeal a response from Butler County Open Records, contact the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.