​Attorney General of Maryland ​Anthony G. Brown

Maryland Public Information Act Manual (20th Ed.) (October 2026)

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A resource for both government officials seeking to meet their responsibilities under the Act and members of the press and public ​seeking access to information. (Click here for a Printable version of the whole PIA Manual) ​​
​
​ Chapter
 Content​​​​​​​​​
 Revised date
Overview​​
Preface and Ta​ble of Contents​
October 2026
Chapter 1Scope and Agenc​y Responsibilities
October 2026
Chapter 2Right of Acce​​ss t​​o R​ecords
October 2026
Chapter 3
Exceptions to Disclosure
October 2026
Chapter 4
Request Procedur​es
October 2026
Chapter 5Judicial Review and Alternative Dispute Resolution​October 2026
Chapter 6CopiesOctober 2026
Chapter 7Fees
October 2026
Chapter 8Penalties for Noncompliance​
October 2026
Chapter 9Research Access
October 2026
Chapter 10Judicial Records​
October 2026
Chapter 11The Right to Correction or ​​Amendment of Public Records​October 2026
​Chapter 12
​Restrictions on the Creation and Collection of Personal Records​October 2026
Appendix “A”Sample Request LetterOctober 2026
Appendix “B”Sample 10-Day Letter (or E-Mail)October 2026
Appendix “C”Sample Denial LetterOctober 2026
Appendix “D”Affidavit of IndigencyOctober 2026
Appendix “E”Public Information Act Annotated Code of Maryland General Provisions ArticleOctober 2026
Appendix “F”Model Regulations on Public Information Act
October 2026
Appendix “G”Opinions of the Attorney General on the Maryland Public Information ActOctober 2026
Appendix “H”Responding to Requests Under the Maryland Public Information Act: A Suggested ProcessOctober 2026
Appendix “I”Access to Government Records Under the Maryland Public Information ActOctober 2026​
Appendix "J"Public Information Act RepresentativesMonthly


PIA public security exemption report

Updates to the Manual are made online, and revision dates are posted above.​

​​Correspondence and Opinions Referenced in the PIA Manual


​ ​ ​
Date​​
​Recipient​
04-21-1983​​​
06-27-1​983​​​
 Ernest J. Zaccanelli​​​​
08-14-1984
 Victor Cushwa
08-08-1985
 Leon Johnson
02-28-1990 John J. Bishop
07-17-1990
 Anthony J. Verdeochia
06-29-1993
 William S. Ratchford, II
12-23-1993​
 Michael A. Noonan
01-09-1995 Carvel F. Payne
05-07-1996 Deborah Byrd
03-04-1998
 David R. Craig
05-22-1998 Mark M. Viani
02-28-2000 John A. Giannetti, Jr.
10-06-2000 Jennie M. Forehand
10-06-2000 Brian E. Frosh​
11-29-2000 William AuMiller
05-13-2002 Leo E. Green
05-30-2003 Leo E. Green
02-09-2004 Joanne Parrott
04-14-2004 Kevin Kelly
05-14-2004 John Adams Hurson
08-20-2004 Dereck Davis
12-15-2004 Ann Marie Maloney
02-21-2005 William AuMiller
07-14-2005 Roy P. Dyson
05-01-2006 Robert L. Ehrlich
08-03-2006 Kevin Kelly
07-18-2007 Kevin Kelly
10-04-2007 Joan Carter Conway
11-08-2007 Nathaniel J. McFadden
Steven J. DeBoy, Sr.
03-03-2010 William A. Bronrott
02-19-2011 Nancy J. King​

​

​ ​
DateAuthorRecipient
7-27-83Catherine M. Shultz Clerks of the Circuit Courts
1-31-95Jack Schwartz
 Principal Counsel
8-17-95
(7-26-95)		Jack Schwartz
 Principal Counsel​​​
1-7-2002Robert N. McDonald Committee on Access to Court Records
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​​​

​ ​
​Opinion Number (Year)​​
41 OAG 113 (1936) 63 OAG 453 (1978)​
 78 OAG 291 (1993)
56 OAG 461 (1971) 63 OAG 502 (1978) 79 OAG 354 (1994)
57 OAG 500 (1972) 63 OAG 543 (1978) 79 OAG 362 (1994)
57 OAG 518 (1972)​
 63 OAG 659 (1978) 80 OAG 257 (1995)
58 OAG 14 (1973) 64 OAG 236 (1979) 81 OAG 140 (1996)
58 OAG 53 (1973)​
 65 OAG 365 (1980) 81 OAG 154 (1996)
58 OAG 563 (1973)
 66 OAG 98 (1981) 81 OAG 164 (1996)
59 OAG 59 (1974)
 68 OAG 330 (1982) 82 OAG 15 (1997)
59 OAG 586 (1974)​
 68 OAG 335 (1982) 82 OAG 65 (1997)
60 OAG 498 (1975) 69 OAG 231 (1983) 82 OAG 111 (1997)
60 OAG 559 (1975) 71 OAG 282 (1984) 83 OAG 192 (1998)
60 OAG 600 (1975) 71 OAG 288 (1984) 85 OAG 249 (2000)
61 OAG 340 (1976) 71 OAG 297 (1984) 86 OAG 94 (2000)
61 OAG 698 (1976) 71 OAG 305 (1984) 86 OAG 226 (2000)
61 OAG 702 (1976) 71 OAG 318 (1984) 87 OAG 76 (2001)
62 OAG 396 (1977) 71 OAG 368 (1984) 88 OAG 205 (2002)
62 OAG 579 (1977) 73 OAG 12 (1986) 90 OAG 45 (2002)
62 OAG 712 (1977) 76 OAG 276 (1991) 92 OAG 12 (2004)
63 OAG 197 (1978) 76 OAG 287 (1991) 92 OAG 26 (2004)
63 OAG 355 (1978) 77 OAG 183 (1992) 92 OAG 137 (2004)
63 OAG 432 (1978) 77 OAG 188 (1992) 93 OAG 138 (2005)

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