Public Records Act Requests

A woman sits cross-legged on her couch, holding a cup of coffee and looking at the PRA webpage on the laptop in her lap.

As a person interested in the proceedings of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)  you have a right to access information concerning the conduct of the people’s business as set forth in Article 1, Section 3 of the California Constitution and the California Public Records Act (Gov’t. Code § 7920 et seq.).

The Public Records Act broadly defines "public records" to include written and recorded records, unless the Public Records Act or other law exempts the records from disclosure. 

Under Government Code section 7920.530, the term "public records“ includes "any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics.”

This means you may request the following materials from the CPUC as they are open to disclosure unless they fall within an exemption:

  • Printed and photocopied documents
  • Internal and external correspondence
  • Handwritten notes
  • Computer data
  • Electronic files
  • Audio and video recordings

The Public Records Act provides for public access to records the CPUC generates, as well as records created by others that the CPUC has in its possession.

The CPUC is not required to prepare new records in response to a request, or to compile, synthesize, summarize, or index information or records in a form that does not exist at the time of the request.

Frequently Asked Questions and Guidelines

The following FAQs and guidelines explain the Public Records Act and steps for requesting public records from the CPUC. These guidelines are posted in the lobby of the CPUC’s headquarters, and copies will be provided free of charge upon request.

Any member of the public may inspect public records or request copies of public records that are reasonably identified by the requester. The CPUC strongly encourages members of the public to submit Public Records Act requests in writing. A CPUC employee who receives a verbal request for records may ask, but cannot require, the requester to submit the request in writing. If the requester declines to submit a written request, the CPUC employee must document the verbal request and process it in accordance with these guidelines.

Any record that is not exempt under state law from disclosure is available. The CPUC may refuse to disclose any records that are exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act. (See Gov. Code, §§ 7921.000-7922.210).

Yes. The CPUC’s website contains many records available to the public without the need for a formal request. The CPUC posts many public records to its website about all the industries it regulates. These records include inspection reports, audit reports, citations issued, records from various proceedings pending before the CPUC and many other records. Please see the CPUC’s webpage regarding how to find records on the CPUC’s website.

You can request the records from the CPUC by filing a Public Records Act Request.

Your request should be specific, focused, and sufficiently describe records so that they can be identified, located and retrieved by CPUC staff. Where a request is not specific and focused, CPUC staff will assist you to identify records and information that are responsive to your request or to the purpose of the request, if stated; and provide suggestions for obtaining access to the records or information if such records are not subject to an exemption listed in the Public Records Act. If you have any questions, please contact the CPUC’s Legal Division at public.records@cpuc.ca.gov.

File a Public Records Request

Under the Public Records Act, the CPUC has 10 days in which to provide an initial response to tell you whether responsive records exist. In extraordinary cases, such as when a request requires review of lots of documents or requires retrieval of documents from other locations, the CPUC may extend this time to respond to you in writing by up to 14 days. In this written response, the CPUC will let you know if records responsive to your request exist, whether any exemptions may apply, and when you will be able to review or receive copies of the responsive records.

The CPUC will send you the records electronically, or you can have them mailed to you. Or, you can pick them up or view them at the CPUC’s headquarters at 505 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco.

It depends. CPUC staff work diligently to respond to all Public Record Act requests as promptly as possible. If your request seeks records that are easy to identify, locate, and review, the CPUC should be able to make the records that are not exempt from disclosure available to you relatively quickly. However, if your request asks for a lot of documents or requires CPUC staff to review a lot of documents to find materials that are responsive to your request, it may take several weeks or longer for you to receive the non-exempt records. In such cases, the CPUC will provide updates and send you the requested non-exempt records as quickly as resources allow.

CPUC operations will not be suspended to permit inspection of records at a time when those records are in use by CPUC staff. If the request requires review of numerous records, a mutually agreeable time will be established for the inspection of the records. Public records maintained by the CPUC will be available for inspection during the regular business hours of the CPUC. You will not be able to scan documents to your laptop when viewing documents in person. Upon either the completion of the inspection or the oral request of CPUC staff, the person conducting the inspection will return the records to the CPUC. Persons inspecting CPUC records must not destroy, mutilate, deface, alter, or remove the records from the CPUC. The CPUC reserves the right to have CPUC staff present during the inspection of records to prevent the loss or destruction of records.

Upon any request for a copy of records, other than records the CPUC has determined to be exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act, CPUC staff will provide copies of the records to any person after payment of a fee of: 1) 10 cents per page for standard documents; 2) actual costs for reproducing oversize documents or documents requiring special processing; 3) actual postage charges; and 4) actual costs, if any, for retrieval and return of records held offsite in archives. Public Utilities Code § 1903 requires the CPUC to set copy fees. The CPUC’s fees reflect the direct cost of duplicating and providing records, or portions of records, that are not exempt from disclosure. The CPUC may waive fees as appropriate. Copies will be provided as promptly as practical. Extensive and complex copy requests may take longer to process than simple ones.

You may appeal the denial of your PRA request by submitting a Public Information Appeal form, available at the link below. You must submit the appeal form within 10 days of receiving notice that your request was denied. The appeal form can be emailed, sent via U.S. mail, or presented in person to the CPUC Legal Division. Contact information and further instructions are provided on the form.

Public Information Appeal Form

File a Public Record Request