The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Office of the Attorney General
One Ashburton Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
The Attorney General's Division of Open Government interprets and enforces the Open Meeting Law, Chapter 30A of
the Massachusetts General Laws, Sections 18-25. Below is the procedure for filing and responding to an Open
Meeting Law complaint.
Instructions for filing a complaint:
o Fill out the attached two-page form completely and sign it. File the complaint with the public body within 30
days of the alleged violation. If the violation was not reasonably discoverable at the time it occurred, you
must file the complaint within 30 days of the date the violation was reasonably discoverable. A violation that
occurs during an open session of a meeting is reasonably discoverable on the date of the meeting.
o To file the complaint:
o For a local or municipal public body, you must submit a copy of the complaint to the chair of the
public body AND to the municipal clerk.
o For all other public bodies, you must submit a copy of the complaint to the chair of the public body.
o Complaints may be filed by mail, email, or by hand. Please retain a copy for your records.
o If the public body does not respond within 14 business days and does not request an extension to respond,
contact the Division for further assistance.
Instructions for a public body that receives a complaint:
o The chair must disseminate the complaint to the members of the public body.
o The public body must meet to review the complaint within 14 business days (usually 20-22 calendar days).
o After review, but within 14 business days, the public body must respond to the complaint in writing and must
send the complainant a response and a description of any action the public body has taken to address it. At
the same time, the body must send the Attorney General a copy of the response. The public body may
delegate this responsibility to its counsel or a staff member, but only after it has met to review the complaint.
o If a public body requires more time to review the complaint and respond, it may request an extension of time
for good cause by contacting the Division of Open Government.
Once the public body has responded to the complaint:
o If you are not satisfied with that the public body's response to your complaint, you may file a copy of the
complaint with the Division by mail, e-mail, or by hand, but only once you have waited for 30 days after filing
the complaint with the public body.
o When you file your complaint with the Division, please include the complaint form and all documentation
relevant to the alleged violation. You may wish to attach a cover letter explaining why the public body's
response does not adequately address your complaint.
o The Division will not review complaints filed with us more than 90 days after the violation, unless we granted
an extension to the public body or you can demonstrate good cause for the delay.
If you have questions concerning the Open Meeting Law complaint process, we encourage you to contact the
Division of Open Government by phone at (617) 963-2540 or by e-mail at openmeeting@state.ma.us.
Instructions for completing the Open Meeting Law Complaint Form
OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLAINT FORM
