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Home > I Want To > Submit a Public Records Request

Submit a Public Records Request

Law

Under Massachusetts law, every person has a right to access public government records. Not all records are public, and you may need to pay a fee to get them. Contact the Public Records Access Officer, Seah Levy, if you have any questions or if you need help getting records from the City of Cambridge.

How to Start

  • You may request a public record in person or in writing. 
  • Written requests may be delivered in person, by mail, facsimile, or email. 
  • You must provide a reasonable description of the desired information. 
  • If the request is unclear, the Public Records Access will help you clarify the request.

Seah Levy
Public Records Access Officer

City of Cambridge 
Law Department 
City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue 
Cambridge, MA  02139 

(617) 349-4121
publicrecords@cambridgema.gov

Requirements

While a written request is not required, they are encouraged for the sake of clarity and more efficient processing.

Download a sample request letter [PDF].

Additional Information

The City maintains many documents online including in the City’s Open Data Portal. You may want to check the City’s website before making a request to see if the documents you are seeking are already available. 

The public records maintained by the City of Cambridge include, but are not limited to, the following categories: 

  • Final opinions, decisions, orders, or votes from proceedings of the City’s public bodies  
  • Reports 
  • Notices of hearings 
  • Winning bids for public contracts 
  • Minutes of open meetings 
  • Budget information  
  • And much, much more! 
Page was posted on 5/8/2018 5:06 PM
Page was last modified on 7/25/2023 1:49 PM
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