Open records requests in Illinois

How the Illinois Freedom of Information Act works

Illinois's Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) provides any person with the right to request records from all state and local public bodies, including state agencies, universities, municipalities, and school districts. Illinois is notable for having a dedicated oversight body, the Public Access Counselor (PAC) within the Attorney General's office, that handles binding review of denials without requiring litigation. Agencies must respond within five business days (extendable by five more), and the law requires substantive responses, not mere acknowledgments.

Fees may be charged for reproduction beyond the first 50 pages; no fee applies to records already in electronic format. Willful violations carry fines of $2,500 to $5,000 per incident. Common exemptions include pre-decisional deliberative materials, personnel records, attorney-client communications, and law enforcement investigative records. The PAC system significantly lowers the barrier to enforcement, making Illinois one of the more accessible states for asserting open records rights.