← Reference notes

How to make a FOIA request

Summary

First check whether the record is already public. Otherwise send a written request to the agency's FOIA office that reasonably describes the records; no special form is required and most agencies accept electronic requests.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and vary by state; check the official source or a qualified professional for your situation.

Facts

• id: F1 claim: Check first whether the information is already public on the agency website or FOIA.gov. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F2 claim: A FOIA request must be in writing and reasonably describe the records sought. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F3 claim: There is no required form; most agencies take requests by web form, email, or fax. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F4 claim: You can request any agency record and say what format you want it in. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F5 claim: Agencies do not have to create new records, do research, analyze data, or answer questions. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F6 claim: Response time depends on complexity and backlog; narrower requests are usually processed faster. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0

Pointers

• answers: Full official guidance beyond this summary where: https://www.foia.gov/how-to.html access: open, no account

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/foia-request.md.