Catalog of Sample Policies for Pennsylvania's Conservation Districts

Public Inspection of Files and/or Plans Policy
(Northumberland County Conservation District)

The following policy, revised and adopted by the Board of Directors of the Northumberland County Conservation District at their December 7, 2000 board meeting, addresses a system whereby individuals within the public sector may or may not access and view official files and/or plans, such as erosion and sedimentation control plans, conservation plans, Chesapeake Bay Program plans and other files of like fashion that are housed in the offices of the Northumberland County Conservation District. This policy comes into effect after all federal and state regulations regarding public information access have been satisfied.

• An appointment must be made to access/view any files. A specific amount of time will be allocated for the appointment.
• Plans and/or files cannot be removed from the Northumberland County Conservation District office.
• Office personnel must be present during the time any individual is accessing and viewing any file/plan. A fee will be assessed for staff time involved.
• Copies can be made for a fee, but only if the copier is adequate to handle the size of paper required. Excessively large documents, such as engineer designs, will not be copied section by section. Duplication of documents with the use of photo cameras, video cameras, or any other equipment, will not be allowed.
• Fees related to this policy are as follows: fee for staff time involved in the scheduled appointment will be $5.00 per each 15 minutes of time; fee for making copies is $.25 per copy.
• While the identity of the complainant is confidential information, inspection report documentation as a result of a complaint is NOT confidential information, provided the identity of the complainant is not on the inspection report form. Complaint files must be kept separate from program and permitting files.
• If an enforcement action has been initiated by DEP or the District, access to files will be denied until the enforcement action has been completed.