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Public records requests

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Showing 25 of 62 agencies (results 1–25, page 1 of 3) for “federal”.

United States (25)

Air Force
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
The Air Force will not accept email requests; all requests must be submitted through the online portal or by mail. The agency has a reputation for significant backlogs and heavy redactions.
Medium Friction Verified
Air Force, 25th Air Force
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
The 25th Air Force is a subordinate unit of the Air Force. All FOIA requests for 25th Air Force records should be submitted to the Air Force's central FOIA office. The Air Force will not accept email requests; all requests must be submitted through the online portal or by mail.
Responsive Verified
Amtrak
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Amtrak uses the Secure OCP portal for FOIA requests. The agency charges fees for search, review, and duplication. Fee waivers are rarely granted, and the agency is known for significant backlogs.
Medium Friction Verified
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
ATF no longer accepts or acknowledges FOIA requests submitted by email. All requests must be submitted through the online portal or by mail. The agency has a reputation for significant backlogs and for asserting law enforcement exemptions to deny access to records.
Medium Friction Verified
Bureau of Land Management
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Backlog of 1,598 requests, over a third of the entire Interior Department's backlog.
Medium Friction Verified
Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - DOJ
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
The BOP is known for denying fee waivers for incarcerated requesters. The online form is for public information only; requests for non-public individual records require a signed authorization and must be submitted by mail.
Responsive Verified
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
CBP uses the DHS SecureRelease portal. Mail-in requests are strongly discouraged as they require manual entry and divert resources. Fee waivers are rarely granted.
Responsive Verified
Defense Health Agency (DHA) - DOD
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
DHA does not have a dedicated public FOIA portal. Requests are processed by email. The agency is known for heavy redactions under the medical records exemption (Exemption 6). Fee waivers are rarely granted.
Medium Friction Unreviewed
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) - DOD
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
DIA is known for a high rate of 'no records' responses or denials based on national security exemptions. The agency does not have a public portal and requires requests by email or mail. Fee waivers are generally not applicable as most requests are denied in full.
High Resistance Pending
Department of Agriculture
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Received 24,722 requests in FY2024, a significant increase from the previous year.
Responsive Verified
Department of Defense (DoD)
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Department of Defense FOIA requests should be directed to the specific DoD component (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.). The OSD/JS FOIA office only handles Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff records.
Responsive Verified
Department of Health and Human Services
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Received 51,800 requests in FY2024. Uses the PAL portal for requests.
Responsive Verified
Department of Homeland Security
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Received the most requests in FY2024 (911,535). DHS also received half of all FOIA administrative appeals.
Responsive Verified
Department of Homeland Security (Headquarters)
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
DHS HQ frequently denies fee waivers for media requesters by incorrectly classifying them as commercial entities. This practice has led to significant public criticism and litigation.
Responsive Verified
Department of Homeland Security, United States of America
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
DHS requires FOIA requests to be submitted through its portal or FOIA.gov. The department has a reputation for significant backlogs and for heavily redacting records related to immigration enforcement and national security. Fee waivers are rarely granted.
Medium Friction Unreviewed
Department of Housing and Urban Development, United States of America
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
HUD prefers requests be submitted through its online portal. The agency does not provide a public email address for FOIA requests. HUD has been criticized for slow responses and for redacting information under the privacy exemption.
Medium Friction Verified
Department of Justice
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Received 132,527 requests in FY2024, second only to DHS.
Responsive Verified
Department of Justice, Criminal Division
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
The Criminal Division does not use a public FOIA portal. Requests must be submitted by email or mail. Fee waivers are rarely granted, and the division often asserts law enforcement exemptions to deny access to investigative records.
Responsive Unreviewed
Department of Justice, National Security Division
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
The NSD does not use a public FOIA portal. Requests must be submitted by email or mail. The division has a reputation for significant backlogs and for heavily redacting records related to national security. Fee waivers are rarely granted.
Medium Friction Unreviewed
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
OJP does not have a dedicated public FOIA portal. Requests are accepted via email or mail. Fee waivers are rarely granted, and the office often asserts law enforcement exemptions to deny access to records.
Responsive Unreviewed
Department of State
Jurisdiction
United States · federal
Records law
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Dataset note
Received 22,306 requests in FY2024. Known for long delays and heavy redactions on diplomatic cables.
Medium Friction Verified