Freedom of information laws in the United States
(Redirected from FOIL request)
In the United States, freedom of information legislation exists at all levels of government: federal level, state level, and local level.
Federal level
[edit]Since the founding of the United States, the public's right to know the affairs of their government has been foundational to democracy. James Madison wrote during the United States Constitutional Convention, "The right of freely examining public characters and measures and free communication, is the only effective guardian of every other right."[1][2]
Several federal laws have strengthened the public's ability to access public records. The most important was the Freedom of Information Act, signed into law on July 4, 1966,[3] by President Lyndon Johnson. Other federal laws dealing with freedom of information include:
- Administrative Procedure Act PL 79-404; 1946
- Freedom of Information Act PL 85-619; 1966
- Federal Advisory Committee Act PL 92-463; 1972
- Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act PL 93-344; 1974
- Government in the Sunshine Act PL 94-409; 1976
- Inspector General Act PL 95-452; 1978
- Ethics in Government Act PL 95-521; 1978
- Presidential Records Act PL 95-591; 1978
- Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments PL 104-231; 1996
State legislation
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All fifty U.S. states and the District of Columbia also have freedom of information laws that govern the public's access to government records at state and local levels.[4] These laws go by many different names including Sunshine Laws, Public Records Laws, Open Records Laws, etc. Additionally, Open Meeting Laws govern the public's access to meetings of public officials or appointed boards.[5]
All Freedom of Information style laws supports the ideal that in a democracy, people have the right to know the business of their government. However, the laws vary in scope and strength among jurisdictions.[1] For example, Florida's Sunshine Law creates both a statutory and constitutional right to access whereas many states only provide the statutory right.[2] Additionally, while a state may have strong legislation the state's compliance with its own laws may negatively impact the public's ability to access records.[6]
Freedom of Information laws by state and territory
[edit]| State | Freedom of Information Law | Code Section[7] | First Enacted | Who May Request Records[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Public Records Law | Al. Code §§ 36-12-40; 36-12-41 | 1923[8] | Any citizen |
| Alaska | Alaska Public Records Act | A.S. §§ 40.25.110 to 40.25.125; 40.25.151 | 1900[9] | Any person |
| American Samoa | American Samoa Public Records Act | A.S.C.A. §§ 2.0101 et seq. | 1984[10] | Any person |
| Arizona | Arizona Public Records Law | A.R.S. §§ 39–121.01 to 39–121.03 | 1901[11] | Any person |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Freedom of Information Act | Ark. Code Ann. §§ 25-19-101 to 25-19-111 | 1967[12] | Citizens of the state/commonwealth |
| California | California Public Records Act | Gov't Code §§ 7920.000 to 7931.000[a] | 1968[13] | Any person |
| Colorado | Colorado Open Records Act | C.R.S. §§ 24-72-200.1 to 24-72-205.5 | 1969[14] | Any person |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Freedom of Information Act | Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 14 §§ 1–200 to 1-242 | 1975[15] | Any person |
| Delaware | Delaware Freedom of Information Act | Tit. 29, §§ 10001 to 10007; 10112 | 1977[16] | Citizens of the state/commonwealth |
| District of Columbia | Freedom of Information Act[17] | DC Official Code §§ 2–531 to 2-540 | 1974[18] | Any person |
| Florida | Florida Sunshine Law | Fla. Stat. §§ 119.01 to 119.19 | 1967[19] | Any person |
| Georgia | Georgia Open Records Act | O.C.G.A. §§ 50-18-70 to 50-18-103 | 1959[20] | Citizens of the state/commonwealth |
| Guam | Guam Sunshine Reform Act of 1999 | 5 GCA §§ 10101 to 10125 | 1999[21] | Any person |
| Hawaii | Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified) | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 92F-1 to 92F-43 | 1975[22] | Any person |
| Idaho | Idaho Public Records Act | Idaho Code §§ 74–101 to 74-126 | 1990[23] | Any person |
| Illinois | Illinois Freedom of Information Act | ILCS 5 §§ 140/1 to 140/11.6 | 1984[24] | Any person |
| Indiana | Access to Public Records Act | IN Code §§ 5-14-3-1 to 5-14-3-10 | 1983[25] | Any person |
| Iowa | Iowa Open Records Law | Iowa Code §§ 22.1 to 22.16 | 1967[26] | Any person |
| Kansas | Kansas Open Records Act | KSA §§ 45–215 to 45-524 | 1984[27] | Any person |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Open Records Act | Kentucky Revised Statute Chapter §§ 61.870 to 61.884 | 1976[28] | From Kentucky: "an individual residing in Kentucky, a domestic business with a location in Kentucky (or an out-of-state business registered with the Secretary of State), a person who works in Kentucky, a person or business that owns real property within Kentucky, a person or business authorized to act on behalf of a Kentucky resident, or a news-gathering organization"; inmates have some restrictions; non-Kentucky people may request records, but their requests can be denied |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Public Records Law | La.R.S. §§ 44:31 to 44:41 | 1940[29] | Any person 18 or older |
| Maine | Maine Freedom of Access Act | Tit. 1, §§ 400 to 434 | 1959[30] | Any person |
| Maryland | Maryland Public Information Act | Gen. Provis. §§ 4–101 to 4-601 | 1970[31] | Any person |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Public Records Law | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 66, §§ 1 to 21 | 1897[32] | Any person |
| Michigan | Michigan Freedom of Information Act | Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. §§ 15.231 to 15.246 | 1977[33] | Any person |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Data Practices Act | Minn. Statutes §§ 13.01 to 13.99 Ch. 13 Appendix | 1974[34] | Any person |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Public Records Act | Miss. Code Ann. §§ 25-61-1 to 25-61-19 | 1983[35] | Any person |
| Missouri | Missouri Public Records Act | Mo. Code §§ 109.180; 610.010 to 610.225 | 1961[36] | Citizens of the state/commonwealth |
| Montana | Montana Public Records Act | Montana Code §§ 2-6-101 to 2-6-1020 | 1895[37] | Any person |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Public Records Law | Nebraska Statutes §§ 84–712 to 84-712.09 | 1866[38] | Any person |
| Nevada | Nevada Open Records Act | N.R.S. §§ 239.010-239.340 | 1911[39] | Any person |
| New Hampshire | Right to Know Law | R.S.A. Ch. 91-A:1 to 91-A:10 | 1967[40] | Any citizen |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Open Public Records Act | N.J.S.A. §§ 47:1A-1 to 47:1A-13 | 2002[41] | Citizens of the state/commonwealth |
| New Mexico | Inspection of Public Records Act | NMSA §§ 14-2-1 to 14-2-12 | 1993[42] | Any person |
| New York | New York Freedom of Information Law | Pub. Off. §§ 84 to 90 | 1974[43] | Any person |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Public Records Law | NCGS Chapter 132–1 to 132-11 | 1995[44] | Any person |
| North Dakota | Open Records Statute | NDCC §§ 44-04-18 to 44-04-32 | 1957[45] | Any person |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Open Government Act of 1992 | 1 CMC §§ 9901 to 9910 | 1992[46] | Any person |
| Ohio | Ohio Open Records Law | Ohio Rev. Code §§ 149.43 to 149.45; 2743.75 | 1963[47] | Any person |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Open Records Act | Title 51 Oklahoma Statutes §§ 24A.1 to 24A.32 | 1999[48] | Any person |
| Oregon | Oregon Public Records Law | O.R.S. §§ 192.311 to 192.513 | 1973[49] | Any person |
| Pennsylvania | Right-to-Know Law | 65 Pennsylvania Statute §§ 67.101 to 67.1310 | 1957[50] | Any legal resident of the United States |
| Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico Transparency and Access to Public Information Act | Law No. 141-2019 | 2019[51] | Any person |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act | P.L. §§ 38-2-1 to 38-2-16 | 1979[52] | Any person |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Freedom of Information Act | S.C. Code Ann. §§ 30-4-10 to 30-4-165 | 1974[53] | Any person |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Sunshine Law | SDCL Chapter 1-27-1 to 1-27-48 | 2009[54] | Any person |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Open Records Act | Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 10-7-503 to 10-7-508 | 1957[55] | Citizens of the state/commonwealth |
| Texas | Texas Public Information Act | Gov't §§ 552.001 to 552.376 | 1973[56] | Any person |
| Utah | Government Records Access and Management Act | Utah Code Title 63G-2-101 to 63G-2-804 | 1991[57] | Any person |
| Vermont | Vermont Open Records Law | Vermont Statute Tit. 1, §§ 315 to 320 | 1976[58] | Any person |
| Virginia | Virginia Freedom of Information Act | Code of Virginia §§ 2.2-3700 to 2.2-3715 | 1968[59] | Citizens of the state/commonwealth |
| Virgin Islands | Virgin Islands Sunshine Act | V.I. Code tit. 3, §§ 881–884 | 1976[60] | Any person |
| Washington | Washington Public Records Act | RCW §§ 42.56.001 to 42.56.904 | 1972[61] | Any person |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Freedom of Information Act | W.Va. Code §§ 29B-1-1 to 29B-1-7 | 1977[62] | Any person |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Open Records Law | Wisconsin Statute §§ 19.21 to 19.39 | 1981[63] | Any person |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Sunshine Law | Wyo. Stat. §§ 16-4-201 to 16-4-205 | 1983[64] | Any person |
High-volume requests
[edit]Since 2020, election officials across the U.S. have reported an overwhelming increase in records requests from apparent election deniers attempting to disrupt the functioning of local and county election offices.[65] Often unreasonably broad, repetitive, or based on misinformation, the high volume of requests has led to what a Colorado official said amounts to "a denial-of-service attack on local government." Local election officials in Florida and Michigan have reported spending 25–70% of staff time in recent years on processing public records requests.[66] In 2022, officials in Maricopa County, Arizona reported one request that required nearly half the election office's staff to spend four days sorting and scanning 20,000 documents.[67]
A review of recent state laws by the Center for Election Innovation & Research found at least 13 states that have sought to protect election staff from the abuse of FOIA requests in several ways, such as creating publicly accessible databases that do not require staff assistance and giving election staff the authority to deny unreasonable or clearly frivolous requests.[66][68]
On May 12, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice demanded "all records" related to the 2024 federal elections in Colorado, a request that National Public Radio called "unprecedented" in its scope.[69] David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, said fulfilling such a request "would fill Mile High Stadium," adding that "it's very unlikely the DOJ would even know what to do with all of that," characterizing the request as "more like a fishing expedition than...some kind of targeted investigation."[69]
- ↑ Originally Gov't Code §§ 6250 to 6276.48 until January 1, 2023.
See also
[edit]Individuals
[edit]U.S.
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Stewart, Daxton R. "Chip" (July 8, 2010). "Let the Sunshine In, or Else: An Examination of the "Teeth" of State and Federal Open Meetings and Open Records Laws". Communication Law and Policy. 15 (3): 265–310. doi:10.1080/10811680.2010.489858. ISSN 1081-1680. S2CID 144106823.
- 1 2 Edwards, K. (2003). "Freedom of information laws". In Johnston, Donald (ed.). Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications. Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 53–67. doi:10.1016/B0-12-387670-2/00100-X. ISBN 9780123876706 – via Elsevier Science & Technology.
- ↑ "Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act". Department of Justice. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
- ↑ "State Public Record Laws". FOIAdvocates.
- ↑ Kaye, Janet (June 5, 2008), "Open Meetings Law", in Donsbach, Wolfgang (ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Communication, Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. wbieco010, doi:10.1002/9781405186407.wbieco010, ISBN 978-1-4051-8640-7, retrieved March 16, 2023
- ↑ "States Failing FOI Responsiveness – National Freedom of Information Coalition". 2007. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- 1 2 National survey of state laws. Richard A. Leiter, Wendy Leiter (9th ed.). Getzville, NY: William S. Hein & Co., Inc. 2022. pp. 807–816. ISBN 978-0-8377-4269-4. OCLC 1343162981.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ "Open Government Guide Alabama - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Alaska - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "American Samoa Code Annotated". American Samoa Bar Association. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Arizona - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Arkansas - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "California Public Records Act FAQs". post.ca.gov. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Colorado - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Connecticut - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Delaware - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ Office of Open Government. "Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)". Open DC. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide District of Columbia - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ Kalil, Earl L. (1975). "Florida Sunshine Law". Florida Bar Journal. 49 (2): 72–116 – via HeinOnline.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Georgia - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Guam Sunshine Reform Act of 1999". Compiler of Laws of Guam. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Hawaii - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ Younger, Cally (2015). "In Year 25 Idaho's Public Records Law Gets a Checkup by Idaho's Public Records Ombudsman". Advocate (Idaho State Bar). 58 (2): 32–34 – via HeinOnline.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Illinois - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ Office of the Public Access Counselor (2022). "Handbook on Indiana's Public Access Laws" (PDF). Access to Public Records Act. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Iowa - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Kansas - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Kentucky - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Louisiana - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Maine - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "In new report, Maryland open-records officials urge greater transparency". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Massachusetts - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Michigan - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Minnesota - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Mississippi - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Missouri". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Montana - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Outline of Nebraska Public Records Statutes". Attorney General Mike Hilgers. 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Nevada - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide New Hampshire - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide New Jersey - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide New Mexico - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide New York - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide North Carolina - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ The State and Local Division, Office of Attorney General (2022). "Open Records Manual" (PDF). North Dakota Office of Attorney General. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Code". NMI Law Revision Commission. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Ohio - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Oklahoma - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Oregon". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ Pileggi, Dominic (2007). "Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law" (PDF). The Office of Open Records. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Puerto Rico Transparency and Access to Public Information Act". Lexology. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Rhode Island - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide South Carolina - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide South Dakota - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Tennessee - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Texas - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Utah - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Vermont State Archives & Records Administration". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Virginia - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Virgin Islands Code". Justia Law. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Washington - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ McGraw, Jr., Darrell V. (2011). "The West Virginia Freedom of Information Act" (PDF). Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Wisconsin - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Open Government Guide Wyoming - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ↑ Gardner, Amy; Marley, Patrick (September 13, 2022). "Trump backers flood election offices with requests as 2022 vote nears". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- 1 2 "Election Officials & the Misuse of Public Records Requests". The Center for Election Innovation & Research. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ↑ Layne, Nathan (August 3, 2022). "Insight: Pro-Trump activists swamp election officials with sprawling records requests". Reuters. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Lawmakers eye more exemptions to target "abuse'" of FOIA". AP News. June 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- 1 2 Parks, Miles (June 11, 2025). "Trump's DOJ makes its most sweeping demand for election data yet". NPR. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Sunshine Week Archived 2023-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
- The Open Government Guide of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press.
- The National Freedom of Information Coalition
- The Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications