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Maryland Commission on Civil Rights

Public Information Act Requests

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Filing a PIA Request

​You may submit a Maryland Public Information Act (PIA) request to MCCR by mail or email:

S. Spencer Dove
Special Assistant to the Executive Director Maryland Commission on Civil Rights
6 Saint Paul Street, Suite 900
Baltimore, Maryland 21202-1631
[email protected]

Please note that per Maryland law all PIA requests must be made in writing. MCCR does not accept verbal PIA requests. You may direct any questions by email or call 410-767-8576.

What to Include

To ensure that your PIA request is quickly identified for processing, please include the term "PIA request" in either the subject line or within the body of your request. For copies of investigative records, please also include a charge number (EEOC/HUD/MCCR) and a copy of a court accepted bill of complaint filed with a court of jurisdiction.​

This bill of complaint is necessary to satisfy MCCR's confidentiality statute contained in State Government Article, § 20-1101, Annotated Code of Maryland - PDF - 143.42 KB. This law requires that the contents of an investigative file (including the existence of a complaint alleging unlawful discrimination) must be protected from public disclosure "...until the matter reaches the stage of public hearings". The only exception to this is if both the Complainant and Respondent agree in writing to the Commission to the disclosure of information contained in the investigative file, then MCCR may permit the inspection and/or copying of records from the investigative file.

Fees

The PIA permits an agency to charge reasonable fees directly related to recouping costs associated with fulfilling a PIA request. Generally, MCCR charges 25 cents per copied page plus postage (if mailed) for physical copies of records. MCCR does not have a fee schedule for per page/per file costs for electronic copies of records.

Under the PIA, the first two hours of work performed by agency staff to process and fulfill a PIA request are free. However, if the scope of the request requires MCCR to dedicate a large amount of time and/or staff to fulfilling the PIA request, then you may be charged the prorated hourly rate, excluding benefits, for the employee(s) that worked on the PIA request.

If fees are charged then you will be provided an invoice detailing the charges. This invoice must be paid in full before the records will be released.

PIA Manual

Want to learn more about the PIA? Check out the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's PIA Manual. The PIA Manual is a comprehensive resource for both:

  • members of the public seeking information about the ​affairs of government, and the official acts of public officials and employees; and
  • government officials seeking to meet their responsibilities under the Act.