ABOUT PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS
The Texas Public Information Act (the "Act") gives the public the right to request access to government information/records. The Act is triggered when a person submits a written request to a governmental body. The request must ask for records that are already in existence; the governmental body is not required to create new information in response to a request, to do legal research, or answer questions.
For more information on the Texas Public Information Act, please click here or visit the Texas Attorney General's Office website at: www.oag.state.tx.us
HOW TO FILE A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST WITH THE CITY OF BAYTOWN
Public Information Requests for City records are to be filed with the City Clerk's Office. Please note that requests should include the name and contact information for the requestor and describe the desired information as clearly as possible.
A request can be submitted in the following ways:
1. Personal appearance in the Office of the City Clerk Department, Baytown City Hall, 2401 Market Street, Baytown, Texas 77520,
2. Mail requests - shall be addressed to the City Clerk/Public Information Officer and mailed to P.O. Box 424, Baytown, TX 77522-0424,
3. Faxed requests - shall be sent to 281-420-5891 or 281-420-6586, ATTN: City Clerk/PIO (requests not faxed to the numbers above will be considered an invalid request),
4. E-mail request - shall be sent to cityclerk@baytown.org (requests not e-mailed to the listed address will be considered an invalid requests), and
5. Online request - shall be submitted via the webpage directly to the City Clerk/PIO. Submit your Public Information Request online now with our ONLINE FORM.
The City will provide the requested information promptly or as soon as possible depending on the circumstance; however, certain information is made confidential by law. When confidential information is requested, an opinion from the Texas Attorney General will be sought and the requestor will be notified of such requests within 10 business days from the time of the receipt of the request.
OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION
There are a number of records readily available to the public via the City's website, which can be accessed without a public information request. For building permit information, you can go to the City of Baytown eGOV PLUS page. Additionally, if you are seeking City Council minutes they are available on the Meeting Archives page.