Writing you can understand

We at Hennepin County are committed to communicating to the public using language that is easy to understand. We’re training our employees to write clearly, and we have strengthened our oversight process.

Why we make this commitment

The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires all federal agencies to write "clear government communication that the public can understand and use.” The goal is for agencies to produce “writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and consistent with other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience.”

We share this goal and believe that plain writing should be used in all government communications, not just at the federal level. Therefore, we have adopted the federal standards for Hennepin County communication.

Let us know how we’re doing

You can help us meet our plain language goals by letting us know when we fall short. If you have trouble understanding any of our documents or any material on our website, please send an email to the county's Public Affairs department.

Learn more

Find out more about the plain language movement and how organizations are changing the way they communicate to the public.