1. Labor Commissioner's Office

Labor Commissioner's Office - Public Record Requests

Public records maintained by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) are available for inspection by members of the public pursuant to the Public Records Act (PRA) which is contained in the California Government Code sections 7920-7931.

Requests for inspection or copies of public records:

  • Requests for public records may be made online, in person at any DIR office, by email, mail, telephone or fax. DIR encourages requesters to submit their requests in writing to avoid miscommunication regarding the records being sought, and to help ensure that the requesters get the records as soon as possible.
  • In order for DIR to locate the requested records, the request must clearly describe an identifiable record. DIR is available to assist in formulating the request. Whenever possible, a request should provide the following information:
    • names of the people, places and/or things the records involve,
    • the period of time for which the records are being sought, and
    • the office, division, branch or section of DIR that created or maintains the records.
  • If a request is made for records in electronic format, and DIR maintains them in electronic format, DIR will produce them in the electronic format in which it maintains them.

Response:

Some simple requests can be satisfied immediately. For most requests, DIR requires up to ten days to notify the requester whether DIR has responsive records, when they will be available for inspection, the cost of providing copies, and whether any of the records contain information that is exempt from inspection. Under some circumstances, DIR requires an additional 14 days to make those initial determinations.

Fees:

In most cases, there is no charge for requesters to inspect records or to make copies using their own equipment on DIR's premises. If DIR makes copies, the first ten pages are provided at no cost. Each additional page costs 19 cents. In connection with requests for electronic data, if producing the records involves data compilation, extraction or programming, the requester is required to pay for the cost of the services involved in producing the record.

Payment may be made online or by either check or money order to "Department of Industrial Relations" and sent to:

Department of Industrial Relations
Attention: Communications - PRA Request
PO Box 420603
San Francisco, CA 94142-0603

October 2023