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Pennsylvania meeting minutes: what they must record

Short answer

Written minutes are kept of every open meeting: the date, time and place, the members present, the substance of every official action with each member's vote on every roll call, and the names of all citizens who appeared officially with the subject of what they said. If the board acts on a matter added at the meeting, the minutes record it, the vote to add it and the reasons. The Sunshine Act sets no deadline for minutes.(65 Pa.C.S. § 706; 65 Pa.C.S. § 712.1(f))

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. §§ 705, 706, 708 and 712.1 on Fri, Oct 23, 2026.

Where this fits in your meeting cycle: 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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Questions on this page

What must the minutes include?

Statute text

“Written minutes shall be kept of all open meetings of agencies.”

65 Pa.C.S. § 706

For every open meeting, the minutes give:

  • When and where: the date, time and place of the meeting.
  • Who was there: the names of the members present.
  • What was done: the substance of every official action, with each member's vote on every roll call (see below).
  • Who spoke: the names of the citizens who appeared officially, and the subject of what they said:

Statute text

“The names of all citizens who appeared officially and the subject of their testimony.”

65 Pa.C.S. § 706(4)

As Clarivis reads "appeared officially", anyone the board recognizes to speak or testify, resident or not, is named in the minutes with the subject of what they said.

How are votes recorded?

Every member's vote is cast in public, and a roll-call vote is recorded member by member:

Statute text

“In all meetings of agencies, the vote of each member who actually votes on any resolution, rule, order, regulation, ordinance or the setting of official policy must be publicly cast and, in the case of roll call votes, recorded.”

65 Pa.C.S. § 705

Statute text

“The substance of all official actions and a record by individual member of the roll call votes taken.”

65 Pa.C.S. §§ 705, 706(3)

A vote that is not a roll call is still cast in public. The Sunshine Act requires the minutes to record its substance, but not how each member voted. The code that governs the municipality may require a roll call for some votes; this guide does not cover those.

What if a matter was added at the meeting?

If the board acts on a matter added at the meeting, the minutes record what was added, the vote to add it and the reasons given:

Statute text

“If action is taken upon a matter of agency business added to the agenda under this section, the minutes of the meeting shall reflect the substance of the matter added, the vote on the addition and the announced reasons for the addition.”

65 Pa.C.S. § 712.1(f)

See the meeting notice and agenda guide for how a matter is added.

When must minutes be ready?

The Sunshine Act sets no deadline for minutes (§ 706). Minutes are still required for every open meeting. The code that governs the municipality, an ordinance or the board's own rules may set a time; this guide does not cover those.

Are minutes kept of an executive session?

The Sunshine Act requires minutes of open meetings (§ 706); it does not require minutes of an executive session. Any official action on what was discussed is taken afterward at an open meeting, and that action is in the open meeting's minutes:

Statute text

“Official action on discussions held pursuant to subsection (a) shall be taken at an open meeting.”

65 Pa.C.S. § 708(c)

See the executive session guide.

Checklist after each meeting

  • Date, time and place of the meeting.
  • Names of the members present.
  • The substance of every official action.
  • Each member's vote on every roll call.
  • The name of every citizen who appeared officially, and the subject of what they said.
  • A matter added at the meeting and acted on: what it was, the vote to add it and the reasons.

What the law does not settle

These are questions to take to your municipal solicitor; this guide does not answer them.

  • Who counts as a citizen who "appeared officially": Clarivis reads it as anyone recognized to speak or testify.
  • Whether a local rule or records schedule sets a time for minutes, and how long minutes are kept; neither is in the Sunshine Act.

How Clarivis helps

Clarivis drafts; people decide. Your board reviews, corrects and approves the minutes.

  • Records and transcribes the meeting, then drafts minutes from the transcript for your Committee Admin or Editor to read, correct and approve.
  • Shows no minutes due date, because the Sunshine Act sets none.
  • Records the approval when your board approves the minutes, so the meeting shows them as approved.
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