Public Records Request

Effective January 1, 2017, the Massachusetts Public Records Law, G.L. c.66 and c.4 S7(26) provides that a municipality must, within 10 business days (Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays) respond to a request for records by providing access to or a copy of such records, or explaining any delay or denial. These guidelines are intended to assist members of the public seeking access to public records in the custody of the Town of Princeton.

Business hours: Monday through Thursday 8am to 4pm, closed on Friday.

Address: 6 Town Hall Drive, Princeton, MA 01541

Records Access Officers (RAO):

Alissa Horsung
Town Clerk
(978) 464-2103, FAX (978) 464-2106

Paul Patriarca
Chief of Police
(978) 464-2928

John Bennett
Fire Chief
(978) 464-2707

Public Records Law Information: General information about the public records  law is found in the Secretary of the Commonwealth's "A Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law", January 2017 edition, found online.
 
Making Public Records Requests:
  • Any person may make a public records request:
    • In person at the Princeton Town Hall
    • By first class mail addressed to the RAO identified above. If you are not sure to which RAO you should address your request send it to the Town Clerk.
    • By FAX to the RAO (978-464-2106)
    • By email to the RAO at the email address provided above.
  • While record requests are not required to be in writing it is strongly encouraged to ensure the most efficient and accurate response.
  • Individuals making a request in person at the Town Hall will not be requested or required to give their names or contact information. For in-person requests that require additional time requesters will be asked to check back periodically with the RAO. Requestors can voluntarily provide their contact information; the Town Hall will have a voluntary Public Records Request Form available. 
  • To facilitate timely and comprehensive responses, requests should be as specific as possible. The RAO will not ask the requestor the purpose of the request, but may ask the requestor for more information to assist the requester in defining the information and/or assisting the RAO to respond more efficiently.
  • Receipt of Requests
    • Written requests received during regular business hours identified above will be considered received on that date.
    • Written requests sent by email or FAX after business hours will be considered received the next business day.
Responses to Public Records Requests:
  • If a full response, including the requested records, cannot be made within 10 business days the RAO or a designee will provide a response to the requestor  in writing providing the anticipated timeframe for a response.
  • In some circumstances the Town of Princeton may assess a reasonable fee for the production of records. If fees are assessed a written estimate of those fees will be provided to the requestor.
Categories of Fees include, but are not limited to the following:
  • five cents ($0.05) per page of black and white printouts or copies;
  • actual cost for storage devices or materials such as CDs or thumb/flash drives;
  • actual cost for duplication of records not susceptible to ordinary means of reproduction such as color copies and large format plans;
  • postage fees where applicable ; and
  • fees for employee time required to satisfy the request
  • No copying fee will be charged for records provided in electronic form

 

  • Publicly available records - The Town of Princeton maintains a website with many documents that are available for inspection, downloading, or printing. If those records are requested the requestor will be referred to the website unless the requestor does not have the ability to receive or access information electronically.