Blair Cnty. C.P. Case Record Public Access § 5

A. A custodian shall fulfill a request for access to case records as promptly as

possible under the circumstances existing at the time of the request.

B. If a custodian cannot fulfill the request promptly or at all, the custodian

shall inform the requestor of the specific reason(s) why access to the

information is being delayed or denied.

C. If a custodian denies a written request for access, the denial shall be in

writing.

D. Except as provided in Subsection E, [R]relief from a custodian's

written denial may be sought by filing a motion or application with the

court for which the custodian maintains the records.

E. Relief from a magisterial district court may be sought by filing an

appeal with the president judge of the judicial district or the president

judge’s designee. Relief from a written denial by the Philadelphia

Municipal Court may be sought by filing a motion with the president

judge of Philadelphia Municipal Court or the president judge’s

designee.

Given that most public access requests for case records are straightforward and

usually involve a particular case or matter, custodians should process the same in an

expeditious fashion.

There are a number of factors that can affect how quickly a custodian may

respond to a request. For example, the custodian’s response may be slowed if the request

is vague, involves retrieval of a large number of case records, or involves information

that is stored off-site. Ultimately, the goal is to respond timely to requests for case

records.

In those unusual instances in which access to the case records cannot be granted

in an expeditious fashion, the custodian shall inform the requestor of the specific

reason(s) why access to the information is being delayed or denied, which may include:

 the request involves such voluminous amounts of information that the

custodian is unable to fulfill the same without substantially impeding the

orderly conduct of the court or custodian’s office;

 records in closed cases are located at an off-site facility;

 a particular file is in use by a judge or court staff. If a judge or court staff

needs the file for an extended period of time, special procedures should be

considered, such as making a duplicate file that is always available for

public inspection;

 the requestor failed to pay the appropriate fees, as established pursuant to