The California Public Records Act (CPRA) requires state and local agencies that received a request for identifiable public records to determine whether the request seeks disclosable records in the agency’s possession and notify the requester of that determination. Existing law required agencies to make that determination within 10 calendar days and permitted an extension up to 14 calendar days when unusual circumstances existed.
AB 1821 changes those deadlines from calendar days to business days. Agencies now have 10 business days after receiving a request to determine whether responsive, disclosable records are in their possession and notify the requester. When unusual circumstances justify an extension, the agency may extend the determination period by up to 14 business days rather than 14 calendar days. The underlying obligation to make records promptly available remains unchanged.
Public agencies should update Public Records Act policies, response templates, deadline-calculation procedures, and tracking systems to calculate the initial and extended determination periods using business days.
AB 1821 amends section 7922.535 of the Government Code.
