The City of Frederick provides access to its public records in accordance with the Maryland Public Information Act (Annotated Code of Maryland, Title 10, Subtitle 6, Part III of the State Government Article). Under the Public Information Act (PIA), you are entitled to review and obtain copies of available records, subject to certain exceptions.

The PIA does not require the city to provide information not contained in a public record or to create such a record if it does not exist at the time of the request. In accordance with the PIA, the city charges reasonable fees for copying as well as search and preparation of records. Upon written request, the mayor may waive fees under certain circumstances.

Requests
Requests for public information should be submitted to the custodian of the records being sought (i.e., the city employee or department that has physical control of the documents). You may use the city’s Public Information Act Request Form. If you do not know which person or department is the custodian of the records you are seeking, please contact Kari Melvin at (301) 600-1453 or by email at .

The city will respond to requests as soon as possible. The PIA requires a response within 30 days of receipt of the request unless additional time is needed by the city and granted by the applicant.

If you are interested in requesting information from the Police Department please go to the Police Department's Public Information Request Form.

Learn More
To learn more about the PIA, please see the Maryland Attorney General’s Maryland Public Information Act Manual.