Freedom of Information Act >Page 1, 2, 3
To whom should FOIA requests be sent?
FOIA requests must be sent by mail directly to the agency that has the records you want. There is no single government office or agency assigned to handle or route all FOIA requests.
Each agency has one or more official FOIA contact offices to which requests should be addressed. Larger agencies have separate FOIA offices for each bureau and some have FOIA offices in each region of the country.
Contact information for the FOIA offices of just about all agencies can now be found online.
My page, FOIA Contacts at Major Federal Agencies, provides links directly to the FOIA contact and information web pages of major agencies, the US Military, and dozens of other agencies.
You can also get FOIA contact information by calling the Federal Information Center (FIC) at (toll free) 1-800-688-9889 (TDD/TTY users, call: 1-800-326-2996). The FIC can help you determine exactly which agency has the records you want and where to send your request.
The U.S. Government Manual is also useful for determining which agency has the records you want. It is available at most public and university libraries and can also be searched online via the Government Printing Office at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara001.html
How should FOIA information be requested?
FOIA information requests should be made in a letter mailed to the FOIA Officer of the agency. If you can't determine exactly which agency has what you want, send a request to each potential agency.
You should also mark both the letter and the outside of the envelope, "Freedom of Information Act Request" to speed its handling by the agency.
It is vital that you identify in the letter the information or records you want as clearly and specifically as possible. Include any facts, names, authors, dates, times, events, locations etc. you think might help the agency find your records. If you know the exact title or name of the records you want, be sure to include it.
It is not required, but you can state why you want the records.
Even if you think the records you want may be exempted from the FOIA or otherwise classified, you can still make the request. Agencies have the authority to disclose any exempted material at their discretion and are encouraged to do so.
Sample FOIA request Letter
| Date Freedom of Information Act Request Dear ________: Under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552, I am requesting access to [identify the records you want in complete detail]. If there are any fees for searching or copying these records, please inform me before filling my request. [or, Please send me the records without informing me of the cost unless the fees exceed $______, which I agree to pay.] If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of appeal procedures available to me under the law. [Optionally: If you have any questions about this request, you may contact me by telephone at ______ (home phone) or _______ (office phone).] Sincerely, Name |
Next page > What does the FOIA process cost? >Page 1, 2, 3
Legislative
Update
Links to the bills you read about in the news.
Congress
Today
Daily schedules plus links to votes, floor records, and resource information.
Headline
News and Articles
Breaking news from government and politics, plus latest About.com features.
