Making transparency accessible
“The basic purpose of FOIA is to ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption and to hold the governors accountable to the governed.”
Use this website to assemble a formal open-records request—for your local, state, or federal government—to get information about what ICE, Palantir, and Flock have been up to in your community.
Where is the agency you want records from?
Who are you sending this to?
This tailors the guidance on which offices are most likely to hold the records you pick in step 3.
Lets you send the letter from your email app in step 6.
Sending the same request to more than one agency? Add them here; each gets its own letter.
Choose one or more requests.
Leave the end date blank for “to the present.”
Agencies often process a short, focused request faster than a long one. With this on, each request you picked gets its own letter, and you can switch between them above the preview.
Most states let you ask that fees be waived when the request serves the public interest.
Most public-records laws don't require you to explain why you want records — but they do need to know who to send them to.
For the Record never sends what you type to us or anyone else. Your draft is saved in this browser so a refresh doesn’t lose it; use “Clear saved data” in step 7 to erase it.
Pick how you’ll send it. If the agency’s records page gives different instructions, follow those.
Once it is sent, the clock starts. Note the date and you will know when the agency is late.
Got an answer you don’t like? Decode the agency’s response and draft an appeal.
Read the draft carefully before you send it.
This box is directly editable. Edits to your request items and fee-waiver wording are kept when you change the form, and you can also edit them under steps 3 and 4. Other edits are replaced when you change a field.
Got a denial or a partial release? Paste the agency’s response to see what it cites, what to question, and when to appeal. It stays in your browser.
Filled in from the letter when a date is found. Change it if it’s wrong.
These go at the top of the draft. They are the same details as step 5 of the request builder, so filling them in here fills them in there too. They stay in your browser.
Built from the points you ticked, with the details you entered under “Your details” above. Edit it before sending, include the agency’s letter and your request, and mark the email subject or envelope “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” Changing a ticked point rebuilds the draft.
This explains common rules and arguments. It is not legal advice and can miss things a lawyer would catch.
Questions, corrections to a statute citation, or a template you'd like added? Write to info@askfortherecord.org.