Sample Freedom of Information Act Request Letter

Agency Head [or Freedom of Information Act Officer] 
Name of Agency 
Address of Agency 
City, State, Zip Code 

Re: Freedom of Information Act Request 

Dear : 

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. 

I request that a copy of the following documents [or documents containing the following information] be provided to me: [identify the documents or information as specifically as possible]. In order to help to determine my status to assess fees, you should know that I am (insert a suitable description of the requester and the purpose of the request). 

[Sample requester descriptions: 

a representative of the news media affiliated with the ___________ newspaper (magazine, television station, etc.), and this request is made as part of news gathering and not for a commercial use. 

affiliated with an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use. 

an individual seeking information for personal use and not for a commercial use. 

affiliated with a private corporation and am seeking information for use in the company's business.] 

[Optional] I am willing to pay fees for this request up to a maximum of $_____. If you estimate that the fees will exceed this 
limit, please inform me first. 

[Optional] I request a waiver of all fees for this request. Disclosure of the requested information to me is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in my commercial interest. [Include a specific explanation.] 

Thank you for your consideration of this request. 

Sincerely, 

Name 
Address 
City, State, Zip Code 
Telephone number [Optional]