TCEQ Records Online, Central File Room and Public Information Requests

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) gives three routes to its records: TCEQ Records Online, to view records online; its Central File Room, to view or copy paper, microform and optical disc records; and a Public Information Request under the Texas Public Information Act. TCEQ says all its records are available for public view unless one of the exceptions to disclosure listed in the Act applies.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name a state's records request procedure among its standard record sources. This is TCEQ's route to the reports and letters behind the TCEQ listings in this section. Five details decide which route to take.

• Online first. TCEQ says its Central File Room Online, linked as TCEQ Records Online, gives the public access to many records without a Public Information Request. It points to its guide, How to Search TCEQ Records Online.
• Paper is viewed by appointment. For records that are not electronic, email the Central File Room naming the records you want. TCEQ says it will set up an appointment at its central viewing area to view records that do not contain confidential information.
• Confidential records take a formal request. TCEQ says records that contain confidential information require a Public Information Request. Its page sends a request under the Act, or a request for records not available through Central File Room Online, to its Make a Public Information Request page. It says Subchapter C of Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code lists the exceptions.
• One route per request. Once a Public Information Request is submitted, TCEQ asks that no second request go through the Central File Room, and says double requests may cause confusion and a delay.
• Inspecting costs less. TCEQ says it is generally less expensive to inspect its records than to obtain copies, and that an inspection must take place within 60 days or the request will be considered withdrawn.

Where to look a site up

• TCEQ Records Online, for the documents.
• Investigation Reports On Demand (IROD), which TCEQ's Look Up Data and Records Online page describes as a search for TCEQ investigations by investigation number or by a combination of criteria.

Getting the file

• Central File Room. Email cfrreq@tceq.texas.gov. Questions go to the same mailbox or to 512-239-0223.
• Public Information Request. Use the online form linked from TCEQ's Make a Public Information Request page, or send TCEQ's form or "a self-composed request in any legible format" by email to openrecs@tceq.texas.gov, by fax to 512-239-OPEN (6736), by mail to Public Information Officer, MC 197, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087, or by hand to 12100 Park 35 Circle, Building A, Austin, Texas 78753. Citing section 552.234(d) of the Act, TCEQ says it is not required to respond to a request sent by any other method or to any other email, fax or address. The Public Information Officer's line is 512-239-0800.
• Who may ask. TCEQ's policy page says Texas law gives every person a right to full information about what government does and what its officials and employees do, unless a law expressly says otherwise.
• Timing. TCEQ says a request must be in writing to be handled under the Act. To withhold information, it says, it must seek a ruling from the attorney general within ten business days of receiving the request; if it cannot produce the information within ten business days, it must say so in writing and set a reasonable time when it will be available.

Fees

TCEQ handles a Public Information Request by its estimated cost. Under $15 there is no charge. From $15 to under $40, TCEQ sends an invoice payable within 30 days. From $40 to under $100, you must accept its estimate in writing within 10 business days or the request is withdrawn. At $100 or more, a deposit of 50% of the estimate is due within 10 business days or the request is withdrawn, and the balance may be due before the records are provided.

TCEQ says its copy charges are based on the schedule recommended by the Office of the Attorney General. TCEQ's Services and Fees Table lists, among others, $0.10 each for black and white copies up to 8-1/2 by 14 inches, $3.75 a sheet for microfiche conversion, $15.00 a roll for microfilm conversion and $15.00 an hour for labor. Certified copies are asked for in a Public Information Request, at 50 cents for each paper certification. Questions about copying costs, payment or delivery go to the Copy Center at 512-239-2950 or CopyCtr@tceq.texas.gov.

Railroad Commission records are covered on the Texas overview.

Sources

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality pages, read October 12, 2026:

• Access Records from our Central File Room, last modified July 17, 2026.
• TCEQ Data and Records, last modified March 23, 2026.
• Make a Public Information Request, last modified January 9, 2026.
• Our Policy and Procedures Regarding Public Information, last modified March 16, 2026.
• Certified Copies and Copying Costs, last modified May 8, 2026.
• Look Up Data and Records Online, last modified September 9, 2026.