Public records, plain English

Figure out what to ask for

If you know roughly what you want, the simple form on the homepage will draft and file it for you in under a minute. If you're not sure yet, start here.

The basics

＋What is a public records request?

A formal ask to a government agency for documents, data, emails, video, or other records they hold. Every state has a law (sometimes called FOIA, Sunshine Act, or Public Records Act) that requires agencies to respond within a set number of days.

＋What can I ask for?

Almost anything an agency creates, sends, receives, or stores in the course of doing public business: incident reports, contracts, spending data, emails, body camera footage, building permits, salaries, inspection reports, meeting minutes, and more.

＋What can't I ask for?

Most laws exempt personnel files, active investigations, attorney-client communications, trade secrets, and records that would invade personal privacy. Agencies should redact those parts and release the rest, not withhold the whole document.

＋How specific do I have to be?

Specific enough that an employee searching could reasonably find it. 'All emails from the mayor about Acme Corp between Jan 1 and Mar 31, 2025' works. 'Anything about corruption' does not.

＋Do I have to say why I want it?

Almost never. A few states ask for purpose only if you're seeking a fee waiver. You're not required to identify yourself as a journalist or share what you'll do with the records.

How to scope a request that actually gets answered

•Name a date range. Open-ended requests get rejected as overbroad.
•Identify the format you want (PDF, CSV, native file). Asking for data as a spreadsheet often costs less than printed pages.
•If you know a case number, permit number, or contract number, use it.
•Ask the agency to release records on a rolling basis as they're identified — don't wait for everything at once.
•If fees might apply, ask to be notified before they exceed $25 so you can narrow the scope.