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FOIA Request Template

Write a federal FOIA request letter: the records you want, the date range, your fee category, a fee waiver or expedited processing if they apply, then copy or print it. Each sentence follows the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and the letter updates as you type.

A template, not legal advice. It is for federal agencies only: state, city and county records fall under each state's own public records law, with different deadlines and fees. Nothing you type is sent to any agency.

What goes in a FOIA request

  • That it is a FOIA request

    A line saying you ask under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. There is no official form: the law asks for a request in writing that reasonably describes the records.

  • The records, reasonably described

    What the records are, the subject and who made or received them, so that an agency employee who knows the subject could find them with a reasonable amount of effort.

  • Date range and search terms

    A start and end date and a few terms to search for. Both narrow the search, which usually means a faster answer and lower fees.

  • Format

    Electronic copies or paper. The agency must provide the format you ask for if the record is readily reproducible in it.

  • Fee category and limit

    News media, educational, noncommercial scientific, commercial or all other, and the amount you agree to pay before the agency checks with you.

  • Fee waiver and expedited processing

    Optional. A waiver if disclosure serves public understanding of government; expedited processing for a compelling need, with a signed certification.

How to file a FOIA request

First check whether the records are already public: agencies post many records on their websites, and FOIA.gov can search records already posted. If not, find the agency and the right part of it in the FOIA.gov agency list, which shows how each office takes requests: an online portal, email or mail. Most federal agencies accept requests electronically.

Fill in the template, read the letter, then send it the way that office asks for. With a portal, paste the letter into the request box. Requests that take longer than ten days get a tracking number. The agency has 20 working days from receipt by the right office to decide whether it will release the records, and it can add up to ten working days in unusual circumstances if it tells you in writing. A decision is not the same as the records: busy agencies often take longer to send them. If you are denied, the letter of decision must tell you that you can appeal within at least 90 days and ask the agency's FOIA Public Liaison or the Office of Government Information Services for help.

Worked example: a local reporter wants inspection reports for a levee and the emails about its repair contract, from January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. She chooses the news media category (duplication fees only), agrees to pay up to $50, asks for electronic copies and adds search terms. Sent so it arrives on Monday, November 9, 2026, the template counts 20 working days, skipping Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, to Wednesday, December 9, 2026.

Preparing to interview the people named in the records? Use the interview guide template to plan the questions.

Publishing what you found as an announcement for an organization? Start from the press release template.

FOIA, state public records laws and requests about yourself

Federal FOIA
Covers records of the federal executive branch: departments, military departments, government corporations, independent regulatory agencies and the Executive Office of the President. This template.
Not covered by FOIA
Congress, the federal courts and many offices within the White House are not subject to FOIA.
State public records laws
State, county, city, school district and police records fall under each state's own law (often called a public records act or sunshine law), with its own deadlines and fees. The Reporters Committee's Open Government Guide covers each state.
Records about yourself
You can ask for your own file under FOIA, but the agency will ask you to prove who you are with a notarized statement or one signed under penalty of perjury. Add it to the letter if you ask for records about yourself.

Tips for a request that gets answered

  • Ask for documents, not answers

    FOIA covers existing records. An agency does not have to create records, do research or answer questions, so ask for "emails about the repair contract" rather than "why was the contract awarded".

  • Narrow before you send

    A tight date range, named offices and a few search terms make a simpler request. Simpler requests are usually processed faster and cost less to search.

  • Pick the honest fee category

    The category decides what you can be charged. The agency decides which one applies and may ask you to show it, for example with past published work if you request as news media.

  • Keep a log

    Write down the date you sent it, the tracking number and every contact. If the agency misses its deadline or denies the request, those dates are what an appeal or a complaint rests on.

For reporters who work from records: what investigative journalism is, the local news reporter's job, tools for freelance journalists.

Sources (read November 8, 2026)

When the records arrive, the interviews start.

Documents raise questions only people can answer. ParrotNotes records your interviews, transcribes them and writes a summary, so the quotes you check against the records are searchable text. Free for 100 minutes of recording a month.

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