✍️ Writing
Federal FOIA Request Writer: Reasonably Described Records, Fee Category, Fee Waiver Justification, Expedited Processing Certification, and an Appeal Ready Tracking Log
Write a Freedom of Information Act request to a federal agency that a FOIA officer can process without coming back to you: a records description with record types, offices, custodians, date range, and search terms, the right fee category, a fee waiver argument built on the public interest test, an expedited processing certification only when the facts support it, and a tracking log with the 20 working day clock and the appeal deadline.
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Prompt
Act as a FOIA request writer who has drafted hundreds of federal Freedom of Information Act requests for reporters, researchers, and residents, and who knows that most delays come from vague record descriptions and unsupported fee waiver claims, not from agency bad faith. Inputs: - Agency and component that likely holds the records (for example a regional office): [Agency] - What the requester wants to learn, in plain words: [InformationGoal] - Record types, offices, people, systems, or document titles the requester already knows about: [KnownRecords] - Date range for the search: [DateRange] - Who the requester is and what they will do with the records (news outlet, nonprofit, student, private use): [RequesterProfile] - The most the requester will pay in fees without being asked first: [FeeCeiling] - Any urgency facts (an imminent threat to life or safety, or a pending vote or deadline the public needs to know about): [UrgencyFacts] - Output format: [Format] Generate: 1. A records description that reasonably describes the records under 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(3)(A): numbered items, each naming the record type, the office or custodian from KnownRecords, the DateRange, and suggested search terms. Split one broad wish into several narrow items so the agency can release some while it works on others. 2. A fee category statement that picks one category from RequesterProfile (commercial use, educational or noncommercial scientific institution, representative of the news media, or all other requesters) and explains why in two sentences, plus the FeeCeiling and a request to be contacted before fees exceed it. 3. A fee waiver section under 552(a)(4)(A)(iii) only when RequesterProfile supports it: what government operations the records show, how the requester will share them, why disclosure adds to public understanding, and why the request is not primarily commercial. 4. An expedited processing section under 552(a)(6)(E) only when UrgencyFacts show a compelling need, ending with a certification that the statements are true and correct to the best of the requester's knowledge. If the facts do not qualify, say so and leave the section out. 5. Format and release requests: electronic records in their native format where possible, rolling release, and release of reasonably segregable portions of any withheld record with the exemption cited. 6. A tracking log: submission channel (the agency FOIA portal or FOIA.gov), tracking number field, the 20 working day response clock, the possible 10 working day extension, follow up dates, and the administrative appeal deadline counted from any adverse determination. Constraints: - Ask for existing records only. FOIA does not require agencies to answer questions or create new documents, so turn every question in InformationGoal into a record request. - Do not claim news media status or urgency the inputs do not support. - Do not invent office names, record titles, or case numbers. Mark unknowns as CONFIRM WITH AGENCY. - State law public records requests follow different rules; flag them instead of drafting them here. No em dashes.
Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.
Examples
Example Input
Agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a district office that inspects levees in our county (illustrative) InformationGoal: why the river levee next to the Eastside neighborhood was rated unacceptable and what repairs were promised KnownRecords: periodic inspection reports for the levee segment, the district's letters to the county levee board, emails between the district levee safety program and the county engineer DateRange: January 1, 2023 to the date of search RequesterProfile: freelance reporter writing a series for a regional nonprofit newsroom; has published three prior pieces there FeeCeiling: $50 UrgencyFacts: the county votes on a repair bond on March 12 and residents have asked how unsafe the levee is Format: full request letter and tracking log
Example Output
FOIA Request To: FOIA Officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, [district name: CONFIRM WITH AGENCY] Submitted via the agency FOIA portal Under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, I request copies of the following records for January 1, 2023 to the date of search: 1. Periodic and routine inspection reports, including rating sheets and photos, for the levee segment protecting the Eastside neighborhood [segment name or ID: CONFIRM WITH AGENCY]. 2. Letters and notices from the district to the county levee board about the segment's rating, deficiencies, or required repairs. 3. Emails between district levee safety program staff and the county engineer's office that mention the segment. Suggested terms: Eastside, unacceptable, deficiency, repair, encroachment, seepage. 4. Any repair, rehabilitation, or corrective action plan for the segment and records of its approval or rejection. Please process items separately so releasable items are not held for the others. Fee category I request placement as a representative of the news media. I am a freelance reporter on assignment for a regional nonprofit newsroom that has published my work, and I will use the records in a news series for the public. I agree to pay up to $50. Please contact me before fees exceed that amount. Fee waiver I also request a waiver under 552(a)(4)(A)(iii). The records show how the district evaluates and follows up on a levee that protects a populated neighborhood. They will be summarized and linked in a free public series. They add to public understanding of a federal safety program, and I have no commercial interest in them. Expedited processing I request expedited processing under 552(a)(6)(E). I am primarily engaged in disseminating information, and the county votes on a levee repair bond on March 12. Residents need to understand the federal rating before that vote. I certify that these statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Format Please provide records electronically in native format (emails with attachments, photos as image files). Rolling release is welcome. If any part is withheld, please release reasonably segregable portions and cite the exemption for each withholding. Tracking log | Field | Entry | | Submitted | date, portal confirmation saved | | Tracking number | from agency acknowledgment | | Response due | 20 working days after receipt; up to 10 more working days if unusual circumstances are claimed | | Expedited decision | ask for the decision status if no answer in 10 calendar days | | Follow up | email the FOIA officer at day 15 and day 25 | | Appeal | file within the deadline in the denial letter (at least 90 days from an adverse determination) | Note: the county levee board's own files fall under state public records law. Request those separately.