AmericaAsk the agency that holds the records for a defined set of existing records. A focused request is usually more useful than asking the government to investigate a theory.
Request records, not answers
FOIA.gov explains that federal FOIA does not require an agency to create new records, conduct research, analyze data, or answer questions. Identify documents that would help answer your question: contracts, reports, correspondence, or a particular decision memorandum.
Search the agency’s published records first. If the material is already available, a direct source link may answer your question without a new request. State and local records are governed by their own processes, not this federal guide.
Scope the search
Name the topic, office, date range, and document types as precisely as you can. If you know an award, case, or report identifier, include it. Explain the intended scope without assuming the agency knows your background research.
Read the agency’s fee and submission guidance. A format preference, fee limit, or request for a fee waiver should be explicit and supported where required. Avoid assuming every requester or every record qualifies for an exemption from fees.
Keep the response trail
Save the submitted request, acknowledgment, tracking number, correspondence, and response. If the agency offers a narrowing conversation, document the agreed change. Follow the response’s actual review or appeal instructions.
A partial release, redaction, or pending request does not prove misconduct. Report what was requested, what was released, what reason was given, and what question remains open.
Make it useful
Your next steps
- Check already-published records and identify the custodian.
- Specify existing records, dates, and identifiers.
- Save the request, tracking number, response, and applicable next steps.
Take it into practice
A starting template you can adapt—not a form submitted to America.co.
Please provide existing ____ records held by ____ concerning ____ for the period ____ to ____. Relevant identifier: ____. Preferred format: ____. Fee limit or waiver request: ____.
Common questions
Does FOIA make an agency answer my policy question?
No. It concerns access to agency records, not a duty to create an analysis for you.
Can I use this for a city government?
Check that jurisdiction’s public-records law and procedure instead of assuming federal FOIA applies.
Follow the source trail
Source pages consulted October 4, 2026. Original worksheets and evaluation questions are America.co guidance; they are not government instructions.
- FOIA.gov — How to make a request ↗Official federal records guidance
This guide uses AI-assisted drafting and links the underlying sources. It has not been presented as expert-reviewed advice. Read our editorial approach. Send a correction with the source and passage.