Massachusetts law about freedom of information and public records

Laws, regulations, cases, and web sources on freedom of information and public records law.

If you are unable to find the information you are looking for, or if you have a specific question, please contact our law librarians for assistance.

Best bet

FOIA.gov: The national FOIA portal
A great place to start for federal Freedom of Information Act requests.

• Learn about the FOIA process
• Start a request with a specific agency
• Use the search tool to identify the right agency

FOIA letter generator, Student Press Law Center.

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Public Records Division.
A great place to start for Massachusetts public records requests.

• A guide to Massachusetts public records law
• Making a public records request (includes sample letter)
• Appealing a denial

Massachusetts laws

MGL c. 4, § 7 cl. 26 Definition of public records

MGL c. 66 Public records

MGL c. 66A Fair information practices act

Massachusetts regulations

940 CMR 11 Fair information practices act

950 CMR 32 Public records access regulations

950 CMR 33 Fair information practices regulations

Federal laws

5 USC § 552 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Forms

FOIA letter generator, from the Student Press Law Center.

Making a request for public records, Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Includes a sample letter.

Selected cases

Selected court cases on the topic of freedom of information and public records

Record retention schedules

MGL c. 66, § 8 Preservation of certain books, papers and records; destruction of certain original instruments
Law gives the timeline for keeping state, county, city and town records.

Massachusetts Trial Court record retention schedule, Administrative Office of the Trial Court.
Outlines requirements for each court department.

Municipal records, Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Forms and resources for state municipalities, including reports, minutes, tax records, current municipal records retention schedule, and searchable database for municipal and state agency retention schedules.

Web sources

Police Records

Internal affairs and personnel records, SPR bulletin 3-04
Documents in an internal affairs investigation record are different from ordinary evaluation or discipline determinations. They are not typically exempt from public records law as personnel information.

Other Public Records

Electronic records management guidelines, Supervisor of Public Records, 2011.
Includes information on e-mail retention and other electronic records.

Executive Order 13392: Improving agency disclosure of information, President George W. Bush, December 14, 2005.

Massachusetts government public records requests portal 
Select the organization you want to make a Public Records Request from.

Massachusetts open government guide, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
A comprehensive summary of Massachusetts’ public records law. Provides guidance on specific types of records. Cites to primary source law.

Massachusetts public notices, MassPublicNotices.org.
Online access to public notice advertisements from nearly 100 newspapers throughout Massachusetts. Notices include government contracts, foreclosures, unclaimed property and more. 

Segregating and marking documents for release in accordance with the Open Government Act, U.S. Department of Justice.
Provides guidance for government officials in how to comply with the Open Government Act.

Print sources

Administrative law, Matthew Bender, loose-leaf. (eBook available with library card)
Part III: Public information.

Administrative law and practice, 2^nd ed. (Mass Practice v.38-40), Thomson Reuters, 2016 with supplement.
Chapter 16: Public records and freedom of information.

Bender’s forms of discovery, M. Bender, loose-leaf. (eBook available with library card)
Volume 16, Chapter 14: Freedom of Information Law and Discovery.

Freedom of Information and Public Records Law in Massachusetts, 4^th ed., MCLE, 2015.

Guidebook to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts, West, loose-leaf.

LexisNexis practice guide: Massachusetts administrative law and practice, LexisNexis, annual. (eBook available with library card)
Chapter 5: The Public Records Law: Access to government records and information.

Massachusetts municipal law, 3^rd ed., MCLE, 2024.
Chapter 18: Public records.

Municipal law and practice, 5^th ed. (Mass Practice v.18-18C), Thomson/West, 2006 with supplement.
Chapter 8: Open government, records and ethics.

Public Records and Open Meeting Law, MCLE, 2025.

Last updated:	May 19, 2025