FOI Tip of the Week: FOIA fee cheat sheet
This is the first of our weekly tips for all things FOI. These posts can help reporters and other citizens in their quest for information, whether they are pursuing records at the local, state or federal level.
FOIA fees can be tricky, especially when dealing with the federal government. It’s not just those searching for records who get confused, but also the officials expected to fill their requests.
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) held a summit May 17 to clear up some of the biggest fee-related issues for federal employees.
While there are plenty of twists and turns that citizens may encounter when requesting access to public records, fees are one of the most important concerns because they can be taxing on requesters’ wallets as well as their patience.
The Office of Government Information Services provides a simple but handy chart that explains key differences between fee and requester categories for FOIA.
It should be of help in assessing the basic fee requirements you may face when requesting records from the federal government.
– Morgan Watkins
Morgan Watkins is SPJ’s summer Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information intern and a University of Florida student. Reach her by email (mwatkins@spj.org) or connect with her on Twitter (@morganwatkins26).
