Public Information Requests

A public information request is submitted to request public access to certain information as described under Section 552.002 of the Texas Government Code, also known as the Texas Public Information Act. This Act provides the public a right of access to information collected, assembled, or maintained by a governmental body in connection with the transaction of official business.

Any member of the public may make a written request to Houston City College for access to or copies of public information. Public information must be disclosed "promptly." How promptly is a matter of how easily accessible the information is, whether the records contain confidential information that must be redacted prior to disclosure, and whether an Attorney General ruling must be sought with regard to information that is subject to an exception? Most records are provided within 10 business days, but some requests may take several weeks to fulfill.

NOTICE: HCC will be officially closed for business from March 9, 2026, through and including March 13, 2026, for Spring Break. These dates have been designated as non-business days in accordance with Texas Government Code Section 552.0031.

During this time, we will not process or respond to TPIA requests. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.  

Houston City College public information request form

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Hand delivery during business hours to:
    HCC Office of General Counsel TPIA Requests
    3100 Main St., 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002;

  2. U.S. mail to:
    HCC Office of General Counsel TPIA Requests
    3100 Main St., 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002;

  3. Email at tpia.requests@hccs.edu; or
  4. Submission through the appropriate online form on the college website.

Texas Government Code Section 552.0031 defines “business day” under the Texas Public Information Act to mean a day other than:

  1.  a Saturday or Sunday;
  2. a national holiday under Texas Government Code Section 662.003(a); or
  3. a state holiday under Texas Government Code Section 662.003(b).

In addition to the above-listed non-business days, the TPIA provides that the governing body of a governmental entity may designate up to ten (10) days in each calendar year as nonbusiness days, on which the governmental entity’s administrative offices are closed or operating with minimum staffing but are not national or state holidays.

A national holiday includes only the following days:

  1.  the first day of January, "New Year's Day";
  2. the third Monday in January, "Martin Luther King, Jr., Day" in observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.;
  3. the third Monday in February, "Presidents' Day"
  4. the last Monday in May, "Memorial Day";
  5. the fourth day of July, "Independence Day";
  6. the first Monday in September, "Labor Day";
  7. the 11th day of November, "Veterans Day";
  8. the fourth Thursday in November, "Thanksgiving Day"; and
  9. the 25th day of December, "Christmas Day."

A state holiday includes only the following days:

  1. the 19th day of January;
  2. the second day of March, "Texas Independence Day";
  3. the 21st day of April, "San Jacinto Day";
  4. the 19th day of June, "Emancipation Day in Texas”;
  5. the 27th day of August, "Lyndon Baines Johnson Day”;
  6. the Friday after Thanksgiving Day;
  7. the 24th day of December; and
  8. the 26th day of December.

The Houston City College Board of Trustees has designated the following dates in calendar year 2026 as nonbusiness days:

  1. March 9-13, 2026 (Spring Break);
  2. November 25, 2026; and
  3. December 28-31, 2026 (Winter Break).

Faculty members may release information from a student’s educational record directly to the student without sending the request to the General Counsel's Office.

For all other types of requests, please follow the steps below if your department has received a public information request:

  1. Date stamp the request upon receipt.
  2. Upon receipt, forward the request to the Office of General Counsel Records Request by email at tpia.requests@hccs.edu. Please do not send public information request through interoffice mail. Also note whether your department has documents that are responsive to the request.
  3. Provide copies (not originals) of the responsive documents to tpia.requests@hccs.edu by the established deadline. Please note that requests to review or receive copies of documents must be processed by the Office of General Counsel Public Information Request area.
  4. If the requested documents are inactive use or are in storage, please provide a date and time when the documents will be available for review.

The cost to obtain records depends on a variety of factors including but not limited to the following:

  • The format (i.e. paper, CD, DVD, etc.) the requestor wishes to receive the requested document
  • Whether the record is in archive
  • Whether computer programming is required to retrieve the requested data

See the Texas Administrative Code §70.10. for a detailed breakdown of the costs.

Contact Us

Office of General Counsel

3100 MAIN St., 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002