Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and public records request workflows. Use when drafting records requests, tracking submissions, understanding exemptions, appealing denials, or managing large document productions. Essential for investigative journalists, researchers, and transparency advocates.
Comprehensive guide for obtaining government records through freedom of information laws.
| Level | Law | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Federal | Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) | Federal executive branch agencies |
| State | Varies by state (e.g., OPRA in NJ, FOIL in NY) | State and local agencies |
| Local | Often covered by state law | Municipal, county, school boards |
## The 9 federal FOIA exemptions
1. **National security** - Classified information
2. **Internal personnel rules** - Agency housekeeping matters
3. **Statutory exemptions** - Other laws prohibit disclosure
4. **Trade secrets** - Confidential business information
5. **Inter/intra-agency memos** - Deliberative process privilege
6. **Personal privacy** - Personnel, medical files
7. **Law enforcement** - Could interfere with proceedings
8. **Financial institutions** - Bank examination reports
9. **Geological data** - Oil and gas well information
Note: Agencies must segregate and release non-exempt portions
All 50 states have enacted laws requiring certain government records to be open to the public.
### State public records resources
#### Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Open Government Guide: rcfp.org/open-government-guide
- State-by-state analysis of public records laws
- Sample request letters by state
#### National Freedom of Information Coalition
- nfoic.org/state-freedom-of-information-laws
- State FOI organization contacts
- Training and resources
#### MuckRock
- muckrock.com
- File requests through platform
- Search previous requests/responses
- Agency response time data
State legislatures may be subject to different rules than the rest of their governing bodies:
Court decisions and attorneys general opinions in some states have held that the separation of powers doctrine prevents courts from enforcing public records statutes against the legislature.
| State | Public Records Law | Legislative Exemptions/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL Code § 36-12-40 et seq. | AL Code § 29-6-7.1 Legislative confidential communication |
| Alaska | AK Stat. § 40.25.110 | AK Stat. § 24.20.100 Research and drafting services confidential |
| Arizona | AZ Rev. Stat. § 39-121.01 | AZ Rev. Stat. § 41-1279.05 Confidential records of auditor general |
| Arkansas | AR Code Ann. § 25-19-101 et seq. | AR Code Ann. § 10-2-129; § 10-4-422; § 25-19-105(b)(7) |
| California | CA Govt. Code § 7920 et seq. | CA Govt. Code § 9070 et seq. Legislative Open Records Act |
| Colorado | CO Rev. Stat. Ann. § 24-72-200 et seq. | CO Rev. Stat. Ann. § 24-72-202(6); § 2-3-505(2) |
| Connecticut | CT Gen. Stat. § 1-200 et seq. | CT Gen. Stat. § 1-210(b)(19); § 52-146r |
| Delaware | 29 Del. Laws, c. 100 § 10001 et seq. | § 10002(o)(16 & 19) Exempt records; GA emails |
| Florida | FL Stat. § 119.01 et seq. | FL Stat. § 11.0431(2); § 11.26; § 15.07 |
| Georgia | O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq. | General Assembly not included in definitions |
| Hawaii | HI Rev. Stat. § 92F-1 et seq. | HI Rev. Stat. § 84-12; § 92F-13(5); § 23G-4 |
| Idaho | ID Stat. § 74-101 et seq. | ID Stat. § 74-109 Draft legislation exempt |
| Illinois | 5 ILCS 140/1 | 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(f) Legislative documents exempt |
| Indiana | IN Code § 5-14-3-1 et seq. | IN Code § 5-14-3-4(b)(13) & (14) Staff work products exempt |
| Iowa | IA Code § 22.1 et seq. | IA Code § 2A.1(3); § 23.12 |
| Kansas | K.S.A. § 45-215 et seq. | K.S.A. § 45-217(l)(3)(B); § 45-221(a)(20)-(22) |
| Kentucky | KRS § 61.870 et seq. | KRS § 7.117; § 7.119; § 7.120 |
| Louisiana | LA Rev. Stat. § 44:1 et seq. | LA Rev. Stat. § 44:4(6); § 44:4.1; § 44:2 |
| Maine | ME Rev. Stat. Tit. 1 § 400 et seq. | ME Rev. Stat. Tit. 1 § 402(3)(C) Legislative exception |
| Maryland | MD General Provisions Code § 4-101 et seq. | MD State Govt. Code § 2–1226 |
| Massachusetts | MA Gen. Laws Ch. 66 § 1 et seq. | Ch. 66 § 18 General Court exempt |
| Michigan | MI Comp. Laws § 15.231 | MI Comp. Laws § 4.1109 LSB confidentiality |
| Minnesota | MN Stat. § 13.03 | MN Stat. § 3C.05; § 10.46; § 3.098 |
| Mississippi | MS Code Ann. § 25-61-1 et seq. | MS Code Ann. § 25-61-17 Legislature regulates own records |
| Missouri | MO Rev. Stat. § 610.010 et seq. | MO Rev. Stat. § 610.010(6); § 610.021 |
| Montana | MT Code Ann. § 2-6-1001 et seq. | N/A |
| Nebraska | NE Rev. Stat. § 84-712 et seq. | NE Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05(14) |
| Nevada | NV Rev. Stat. § 239.001 et seq. | NV Rev. Stat. § 41.071; § 218F.150 |
| New Hampshire | NH Rev. Stat. § 91-A:1 et seq. | NH Rev. Stat. § 91-A:5(IX) |
| New Jersey | NJ Rev. Stat. § 47:1A-1 et seq. | NJ Rev. Stat. § 47:1A-1.1; § 52:13D-22(d) |
| New Mexico | NM Stat. § 14-2-1 et seq. | NM Stat. § 2-3-13 Services confidential |
| New York | NY PBO Article 6 § 84 et seq. | NY PBO Article 6 § 88; Article 4 § 74(c) |
| North Carolina | NC G.S. § 132-1 et seq. | NC G.S. § 120 et seq. Confidentiality of communications |
| North Dakota | ND Cent. Code § 44-04-18 et seq. | ND Cent. Code § 44-04-18.6 |
| Ohio | OH Rev. Code § 149.43 | OH Rev. Code § 101.30 Staff confidentiality |
| Oklahoma | OK Stat. Tit. 51 § 24A.1 et seq. | Legislature not a public body under OORA |
| Oregon | ORS § 192.001 et seq. | ORS § 192.311(6); § 192.355; § 171.405 |
| Pennsylvania | 65 Pa. Stat. § 67.101 et seq. | 101 Pa. Code § 3.6 |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-1 et seq. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2(4)(K & M) |
| South Carolina | SC Code § 30-4-10 et seq. | SC Code § 30-4-40(a)(7 & 8) |
| South Dakota | SD Cod. Laws § 1-27-1 et seq. | SD Cod. Laws § 1-27-1.5(12 & 19); § 19-19-508 |
| Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503 et seq. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 3-12-105; § 3-12-106 |
| Texas | TX Stat. Gov. Code § 552.001 et seq. | § 306.003; § 323.017-018; § 325.0195; § 552.106; § 552.111; § 552.146 |
| Utah | UT Code § 63G-2-101 | UT Code § 63G-2-305(19-22); § 63G-2-703; § 63G-2-208 |
| Vermont | 1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq. | 2 V.S.A. 403(b)(1) Legislative council requests confidential |
| Virginia | VA Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. | VA Code § 30-28.18; § 2.2-3705.7(2) |
| Washington | RCW 42.56 | RCW 1.08.027; RCW 40.14.180; RCW 42.56.280 |
| West Virginia | WV Code § 29B | WV Code § 4-1A-6; § 4-1A-7; § 4-1A-12 |
| Wisconsin | WI Stat. § 19.21 et seq. | WI Stat. § 13.91 et seq.; § 16.61(2)(b)(1) |
| Wyoming | WY Stat. Ann. § 16-4-201 et seq. | WY Stat. Ann. § 28-8-116 |
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, Updated April 2025
[NAMES]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY],[STATE] [ZIPCODE]
[EMAIL]
[PHONE]
[DATE]
FOIA Officer
[AGENCY]
[AGENCY_ADDRESS]
[STATUTE] Request
Dear FOIA Officer:
My name is [NAME] and I am a [TITLE] for [OUTLET]. Pursuant to the [STATUTE], I am writing to request the following:
- [RECORDS_REQUESTED1] between [START_DATE] to [END_DATE] from [SPECIFIC_OFFICES] including the following words/phrases [KEYWORD1], [KEYWORD2], [KEYWORD3], [KEYWORD4]
- [RECORDS_REQUESTED2] between [START_DATE] to [END_DATE] from [SPECIFIC_OFFICES] including the following words/phrases [KEYWORD1], [KEYWORD2], [KEYWORD3], [KEYWORD4]
- [RECORDS_REQUESTED3] between [START_DATE] to [END_DATE] from [SPECIFIC_OFFICES] including the following words/phrases [KEYWORD1], [KEYWORD2], [KEYWORD3], [KEYWORD4]
**INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SEARCH:**
1. Instructions Regarding "Leads":
As required by the relevant case law, [AGENCY] should follow any leads it discovers during the conduct of its searches and perform additional searches when said leads indicate that records may be located in another system. Failure to follow clear leads is a violation of [STATUTE].
2. Request for Public Records:
Please search for any records even if they are already publicly available.
3. Request Regarding Attachments, Photographs and Other Visual Materials:
I request that any photographs or other visual materials responsive to my request be released to me in their original or comparable forms, quality and resolution. For example, if a photograph was taken digitally, or if [AGENCY] maintains a photograph digitally, I request disclosure of the original digital image file, not a reduced resolution version of that image file nor a printout and scan of that image file.
Likewise, if a photograph was originally taken as a color photograph, I request disclosure of that photograph as a color image, not a black and white image.
For video and audio files I request that they be provided in their complete, original and unedited format.
Please contact me at the number or email listed below for any clarification on these points.
4. Request for Duplicate Pages:
l request disclosure of any and all supposedly "duplicate" pages. Scholars analyze records not only for the information available on any given page, but also for the relationships between that information and information on pages surrounding it. As such, though certain pages may have been previously released to me, the existence of those pages within new context renders them functionally new pages. As such, the only way to properly analyze released information is to analyze that information within its proper context. Therefore, I request disclosure of all "duplicate" pages.
5. Request for Search of Records Transferred to Other Agencies:
I request that in conducting its search, [AGENCY] should disclose releasable records even if they are available publicly through other sources outside the [AGENCY] office. If [AGENCY] is unable to do so, it should disclose where specifically the relevant records are available.
6. Regarding Destroyed Records
If any records responsive or potentially responsive to my request have been destroyed, my request includes, but is not limited to, any and all records relating or referring to the destruction of those records. This includes, but is not limited to, any and all records relating or referring to the events leading to the destruction of those records.
INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SCOPE AND BREADTH OF REQUESTS
Please interpret the scope of this request broadly. [AGENCY] is instructed to interpret the scope of this request in the most liberal manner possible short of an interpretation that would lead to a conclusion that the request does not reasonably describe the records sought.
EXEMPTIONS AND SEGREGABILITY
I call your attention to a 21 January 2009 Memorandum concerning the Freedom of Information Act, in which the President states:
All agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA
[ .... ] The presumption of disclosure should be applied to all decisions involving FOIA.
In the same Memorandum, he added that government information should not be kept confidential "merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears.''
Finally, the President ordered that "The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the case of doubt, openness prevails."
Nonetheless, if any responsive record or portion thereof is claimed to be exempt from production, FOIA statutes provide that even if some of the requested material is properly exempt from mandatory disclosure, all segregable portions must be released. If documents are denied in part or in whole, please specify which exemption(s) is (are) claimed for each passage or whole document denied.
Please provide a complete itemized inventory and a detailed factual justification of total or partial denial of documents. Specify the number of pages in each document and the total number of pages pertaining to this request. For "classified" material denied, please include the following