Most District records are open to the public under the California Public Records Act. You have the right to look at them and get copies, and you do not have to explain why you want them.

Make a request online — or see the other ways to ask below.

Check here first

Many District records are already online, and you can see them without making a request:

• Board agendas, packets and minutes
• Budget
• Audits
• Policies, resolutions and ordinances
• Board and staff compensation
• Enterprise System Catalog
• Compliance Calendar

If you ask for a record that is already posted, we will send you the link.

How to make a request

Use whichever way is easiest for you. A written request is not required, but it helps us track your request and respond accurately.

• Online: the District’s Public Records Request portal (CivAssist)
• By email: info@chesterpud.org, or the form on our Contact Us page
• By phone: (530) 258-2171
• In person: 251 Chester Airport Road, Chester, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.)
• By mail: Chester Public Utility District, PO Box 503, Chester, CA 96020

Describe the records as specifically as you can — the subject, the dates, and the type of document (for example, “contracts with X company signed in 2025”). If you are not sure what records exist, staff will help you identify them.

What the District will do

• Respond within 10 days. We will tell you in writing whether the District has records that match your request, and when you can expect them.
• Extend only when necessary. In unusual circumstances — for example, records stored off-site, a large volume of records, or data that must be compiled — we may extend that deadline once, by up to 14 days, with written notice explaining why.
• Help you. Staff will help you identify the records you are looking for and suggest ways to get the information you need.
• Provide electronic copies when records already exist in electronic form.
• Explain any withholding in writing. If any record or part of a record is withheld, we will tell you in writing and cite the law that allows it.

What it costs

• Looking at records in the office: free. Please call ahead so the records can be ready for you.
• Copies: only the direct cost of making the copies. You are never charged for staff time spent searching for or reviewing records.
• Compiling data or programming: if a request requires the District to compile or extract data electronically, there may be an additional cost. We will tell you the cost before any work begins.

What may be withheld

A few kinds of records are protected by law. Common examples for the District include:

• Customer account information — the names, addresses, telephone numbers and water use of individual utility customers (Gov. Code §7927.410).
• Personnel and medical records.
• Communications with the District’s attorneys, and records related to pending litigation.
• Preliminary drafts and notes that are not kept in the ordinary course of business.

When only part of a record is protected, we remove that part and release the rest.

Please note

Information you provide with a request, including your name and contact information, may itself become a public record.

The law

California Public Records Act, Government Code section 7920.000 and following, and Article I, section 3 of the California Constitution. This page is a plain-language summary; the law controls.

Questions

Contact the District Office at (530) 258-2171, info@chesterpud.org, or through our Contact Us page.