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Public records requests

Public records request letter builder

Write a request under the federal Freedom of Information Act, the Illinois FOIA, or your own state's law. It runs in your browser and sends nothing.

Reviewed by Jake Lawrence on 1 min read

Build your request

Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or saved.

You
The office
The records

8 details still to fill in, marked in the letter.

[Your full name]
[Your street address, city, state and ZIP]
[Your email address]

[Date]

FOIA Officer
[Name of the office or agency]
[The office's records address, from its website]

Re: Public records request

Dear FOIA Officer:

Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), I request copies of the following records:

[Describe the records: what they are, whose or about what, and any identifying numbers]

Where the records exist electronically, please send them electronically, by email to the address above or as a download link.

If there are fees, please tell me the estimated cost before any work that would incur it.

If you withhold any record or part of a record, please tell me which exemption you rely on for each withholding, and release the parts that are not exempt.

I understand that the Freedom of Information Act calls for a response within 20 business days of receipt (5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(A)(i)).

If anything in this request is unclear or too broad, please contact me and I will gladly narrow it. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

[Your full name]

A public records request asks a government office for copies of records it holds. You do not have to say why you want them, and you do not need a lawyer.

Which law applies

  • A federal agency (the FBI, the IRS, the Department of Education): the Freedom of Information Act. An agency has 20 business days to decide whether to comply (5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(A)(i)), and can extend that in unusual circumstances. FOIA.gov lists each agency's FOIA office and online portal.
  • An Illinois public body (a village, a county, a school district, a police department): the Illinois FOIA, which gives the body 5 business days to respond (5 ILCS 140/3), with a written extension allowed for some requests.
  • Another state's office: that state's public records law. The National Freedom of Information Coalition keeps a directory of state laws. The builder names the law you enter and claims no deadline, because states differ.

Courts are mostly outside these laws; court records come from the clerk. See are court records public?

Writing a request that gets answered

  • Be specific. Name the record, the dates and any numbers you know (a report number, a case number, an address). A request for "all records about" a broad topic invites delay or denial.
  • Send it to the records officer. Most offices name one on their website, and many take requests through an online portal.
  • Keep a copy and the date sent. The response clock runs from when the office receives the request.
  • Expect redactions. Every law has exemptions, such as personal privacy and ongoing investigations. Asking the office to cite the exemption for each withholding, and to release the rest, is standard.

Sources

  1. 5 U.S.C. 552, the Freedom of Information Act (Cornell LII) law.cornell.edu
  2. FOIA.gov: How to make a FOIA request foia.gov
  3. Illinois General Assembly: 5 ILCS 140, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act ilga.gov
  4. National Freedom of Information Coalition: state freedom of information laws nfoic.org
  5. 5 U.S.C. 551, definitions for the federal agency statutes (Cornell LII) law.cornell.edu

How this page was made

Drafted with a language model from the sources above. Jake Lawrence read it against those sources and signed it on October 25, 2026. Legal information, not legal advice: nothing here answers one reader's case, and court rules differ by state and by court. Found an error? See Corrections.

Public records request letter builder | Court Fines