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The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act: what every meeting needs

Every local board in Pennsylvania, from a borough or city council or a township's board of supervisors or commissioners to a committee the board authorized to act or give advice, follows the same law: public notice of the first meeting of the year with the schedule of the rest, an agenda posted before each meeting, public notice of special meetings, votes cast in public, minutes that name the citizens who appeared officially, and a closed list of reasons for an executive session.

This guide explains the law in plain words; it is not legal advice. For a question about your board, ask your municipal solicitor.
By Clarivis · Checked against 65 Pa.C.S. §§ 703 to 712.1 (read again 2026-10-27), 1 Pa.C.S. § 1908 and the Legal Holiday Law on Tue, Oct 27, 2026.

Clarivis is software that helps a board follow these steps: it counts the deadline for each meeting's agenda and each special meeting's notice and drafts the minutes for your board to correct and approve; it does not post the agenda, send the notice to a newspaper or track the newspaper's own deadline for you.

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Checklist, stage by stage

What the law asks at each point in a meeting’s life. Each stage links to the full guide, with the statute quoted.

Each year

  • The first regular meeting of the year gets public notice at least three days ahead, with the schedule of the year's remaining regular meetings. (§ 709(a))

Yearly meeting schedule guide

Before each meeting

  • The agenda lists each matter of business the board will or may discuss or act on. (§ 709(c.1))
  • If the board has a public website, the agenda is on it at least 24 hours before the meeting starts. It is also posted at the meeting place and at the board's office. (§ 709(c.1))
  • A special meeting, or a rescheduled regular meeting, also gets public notice at least 24 hours ahead: printed in a newspaper and posted, sent to the paper in time for it to publish the notice before the meeting day. (§§ 703, 709, § 709(b))

Meeting notice and agenda guide

Between meetings

  • A quorum of members does not deliberate the board's business outside a meeting the public can attend, except where the Act allows, such as an executive session; the safe course is to keep email and texts among members to scheduling. (§ 704, § 708(a))

What counts as a meeting guide

At the meeting

  • The meeting is open to the public, and anyone attending may record it, under the board's reasonable rules. (§ 711(a))
  • Residents and taxpayers get a reasonable chance to comment before the board or council takes official action. (§ 710.1(a))
  • Every member's vote is cast in public. (§ 705)
  • The board acts only on matters on the agenda, unless a majority of those present and voting add a matter after the reasons are announced, or a narrow exception for emergencies or small matters applies. (§ 712.1(a), § 712.1(b)-(d), § 712.1(e))
  • An executive session is held only for a reason the law lists, and the reason is announced at the open meeting just before or just after it. (§ 708(a), § 708(b))

Executive session guide

After the meeting

  • Written minutes give the date, time and place, the members present, the substance of every official action, each member's vote on every roll call, and the names of the citizens who appeared officially with the subject of what they said. (§ 706)
  • If the board acts on a matter added at the meeting, the minutes record the matter, the vote to add it and the reasons announced. (§ 712.1(f))
  • If the agenda was changed at the meeting, the amended agenda goes on the board's website, if it has one, and at its office by the first business day after the meeting. (§ 712.1(e))

Meeting minutes guide

Pennsylvania guides

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