Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) Request

Maryland’s Public Information Act (“PIA”), codified at Md. General Provisions Code Ann. §4-101 et seq., grants the public the right of access to records that are in the possession of State and local governmental agencies. However, under the law there are required and discretionary exemptions to the release of certain information. As such, some documents may not be released or may be released in redacted form. Anne Arundel County and its members will abide by all local, state and federal laws governing the release of public records.

Pen writing on paper

Instructions

  • Select the topic below that most closely matches your request and complete the corresponding request form. 
  • You will be notified by a county representative indicating the result of your request.
  • This representative will disclose any fees associated with the request and details regarding the method for viewing the requested information.
  • Upon receipt and review of your request you will receive a response within a reasonable time, but no later than 30 days.

Request Topics

Indicates required field

Purchasing

Change Topic

Request Fees

Reproduction and archive retrieval fees may apply. An hourly fee is charged for requests that require more than two hours to fulfill. This fee is based on the hourly rates of the county employees who will process your request.

Immediately available records include:

  • All legislative files from 1965 to the present.
  • County Council meeting and public hearing audio files from 2007 to the present.
  • County Council public hearing video files from 2009 to the present.
  • County Council public hearing minutes from 1920 to the present.

Fire Department Fees

$5.00 Fire/fire investigation and CAD notes in person  
$6.00 Fire/fire investigation and CAD notes by mail  
$5.00 Photo CD in person  
$6.00 Photo CD by mail  
$35.00 Report retrieval (archived reports)  
$40.00 911 Audio CD

$5.00 for the first 20 pages and additional pages are $0.25 each

Police Department Fees

$5.00 Police report / CAD notes 
$35.00 Record retrieval / archived reports       
$1.00 Color photo copy        
$5.00 More than 5 photos (CD / DVD / USB)        
$25.00 911 Audio (Note: Recorded calls are available for one year)      
$40.00 Body worn camera video (Note: BWC video is not available prior to July 2021)      
$40.00 CCTV video (Note: CCTV is available for approximately 30 days)

Reports and other records more than 20 pages will be charged an additional $.25 per page

All requests will be processed as quickly as possible. Upon receipt we will acknowledge your request within 10 business days and will respond within a reasonable time, but no later than 30 days. All fees must be paid prior to release of records.

Expedited Traffic Accident Reports

Expedited traffic accident reports (2022-present) may be available for a $14.00 fee from LexisNexis.
To access a report, you will need to provide the following:

  1. Report number
  2. Full name
  3. Date and location of incident
  4. Payment method
Fee agreement

Requestor Information

Information of the person making this request.

Request Information

To avoid unwanted reproduction and archive retrieval fees, please be specific when detailing your request.
Type(s) of records you are requesting
Please check all that apply
911 audio
Accident report
Animal bite report
Background check
Body worn camera video
CAD notes
CCTV
Photos
Police report
Statistics
Other
Include the document type (ex: emails or meeting minutes), timeframe (ex: January 1, 2021 - March 1, 2021), specific search terms, and/or the names of specific individual(s) (ex: John Smith, Jane Smith).

Requestor Interest or Involvement

Most records of public agencies are generally releasable; however, some records contain both releasable and privileged or exempt material that would require denial in part (redactions) or in whole (denial). In those instances, a person in interest may be granted greater right of access. Persons in interest are generally a subject of the record or a subject’s representative. 

In order to determine whether records responsive to this request are subject to disclosure, or if redactions will be required or the record denied, the Anne Arundel County Police Department may need to determine your interest and/or involvement the record(s). If you do not provide any additional information below, it will be assumed that you require anonymity and this may affect what records are subject to disclosure, or if redactions will be required or the record denied.

Definition of a Person In Interest

  1. A person or governmental unit that is the subject of a public record or a designee of the person or governmental unit;
  2. A person with a legal disability, or the parent or legal representative of the person;
  3. Or, as to requests for correction of certificates of death under §5-310(d)(2) of the Health--General Article, the spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling, grandparent, or guardian of the person of the deceased at the time of the deceased's death.
Are you a "person in interest?"
Please include a copy of your Photo ID using the File Upload in the Additional Information section below

Additional Information

You may upload supporting documents, if applicable.

This may include, but is not limited to: driver’s license / photo ID, power of attorney, medical release form, letters of administration, court order, law enforcement credentials, criminal history background release, etc.