​Attorney General of Maryland ​Anthony G. Brown

Public Information Act

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Your Right to Government Information

​​The right to access information about government activities is fundamental to democracy. Maryland's Public Information Act (PIA) provides citizens with broad access to public records while protecting legitimate governmental interests and individual privacy.

How to Request Public Records

  1. Find the Records Custodian for the appropriate State, county, or municipal agency by viewing the list of PIA representatives​, then
  2. Submit your request directly to that contact person​.

​​Key Resources​

Offices That​ Support Public Information Access​​​​

Public Access Ombudsman​​​​

​Role: Mediates disputes between requesters and records custodians that can't be resolved directly. The Ombudsman:​​​

  • Functions as a fully independent entity from the Attorney General's Office
  • Created by State law in 2015 as an independent office
  • Cannot accept PIA requests on behalf of agencies
  • Cannot compel parties to take specific actions
  • Focuses solely on resolving disputes about pending requests

​​Learn more about the Om​budsman's services​

PIA Compliance Board​​​​

​​​Role: Reviews and resolves complaints related to Public Information Act disputes.
The Board:

  • Is an independent State entity with five members appointed by the Governor
  • Was created by legislation enacted in 2015
  • Had its jurisdiction expanded by law on July 1, 2022

The Board can review complaints that:​​​

  • A custodian wrongfully denied inspection of public records
  • A custodian charged an unreasonable fee higher than $350
  • A custodian failed to respond to a request
  • A request is "frivolous, vexatious, or in bad faith"
  • Important Note: As of July 1, 2022, to file a complaint with the PIA Compliance Board, you must first attempt to resolve the dispute through the Ombudsman.

Click here for the board’s website

PIACB Annual Meeting Agenda​​​

Office of the Attorney General (OAG)​​​​

​​Role: Provides legal advice to​ State agencies regarding their PIA responsibilities and maintains the Public Information Act Manual​.

To request records from the OAG:​​​​

Kavon Robinson, Executive Associate
Opinions & Advice Division
200 St. Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-528-8663​
[email protected]​​

For Government Agencies​​​​

​​Each governmental unit must annually submit PIA representative contact information to the Office of the Attorney General, including:

  • Name of the governmental unit
  • Name of the PIA representative
  • Telephone number
  • Mailing address
  • Email and internet addresses​

Updates to PIA contact information should be submitted to: [email protected]​​

​