foia-requests

What this skill does

# FOIA and public records requests

Workflows and templates for obtaining government records through freedom of information laws.

## Understanding FOIA landscape

### Jurisdiction overview

| 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 |

### Key federal exemptions (U.S. Federal FOIA)

```markdown
## 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
```

## State public records laws

All 50 states have enacted laws requiring certain government records to be open to the public. 

### State-specific resources

```markdown
### 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
```

### Common state exemptions
State legislatures may be subject to different rules than the rest of their governing bodies:

1. **Exempt from public records statute** (e.g., Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon, Wyoming)
2. **Excluded from definition of public body** (e.g., Georgia, Minnesota)
3. **Covered by separate statute** (e.g., California)
4. **Allowed to set own policies** (e.g., Mississippi, New York)

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-by-state reference

| 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](https://www.ncsl.org/center-for-legislative-strengthening/public-records-law-and-state-legislatures), Updated April 2025*

### NJ OPRA reforms (P.L. 2024, c. 16) — effective Sept. 3, 2024

Senate bill S2930 (signed June 5, 2024; effective Sept. 3, 2024) changed New Jersey's Open Public Records Act in five ways that make requesting harder:

- **Fee-shifting weakened.** Prevailing requesters now receive attorneys' fees only when a court finds the agency's denial was in bad faith or knowing and willful. Previously, prevailing requesters were entitled to fees in most successful suits.
- **Anonymous requesters lose standing.** Requesters must identify themselves by name and address; agencies may reject anonymous requests.
- **Deadline tiers introduced.** The standard 7-business-day response window remains, but agencies can extend timelines for "voluminous" or "complex" requests under defined criteria, and may treat certain commercial requests differentl