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Email template to request public records from a government office

You want a document a government office holds: a police or accident report, a building inspection history, a contract the city signed, meeting minutes, or emails about a decision that affects you. Every state has a public records law, and the federal government has the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA; both give any member of the public the right to ask for records, and the office must respond within a set time or explain why it is withholding something. Most offices name a records custodian or FOIA officer to receive requests. Email is the right channel: the law generally counts from the date of a written request, and you get a paper trail if you need to appeal a denial.

Before you send

  • Describe the record as precisely as you can: what it is, who created it, and the date range. "All emails" is likely to be denied as too broad; "emails between the planning director and the developer about 12 Main Street between March 1 and May 31" is answerable.
  • Find the right office and its records contact. City, county, state, and federal agencies each keep their own records; the police report is at the police department, not city hall.
  • Decide how you want the records: electronic copies cost little or nothing; paper copies are often charged per page.
  • Set a fee limit. Offices can charge for staff time and copying; asking to be told before costs exceed an amount prevents a surprise bill.
  • Note the response deadline for your jurisdiction. Federal agencies have 20 business days under FOIA; states set their own, often shorter.
Subject Public records request: [short description of records] 
Hi [records custodian name or office],

Under [the state public records law, e.g. the California Public Records Act / the Freedom of Information Act], I'm requesting copies of the following records:

- [Record 1, e.g. incident report number 24-1234, dated date]
- [Record 2, e.g. all inspection reports for the property at address from date to date]
- [Record 3, if any]

Please provide these as electronic copies by email or a download link. If any part of a record is withheld, please release the rest and tell me the specific exemption relied on for each part withheld.

If the cost of fulfilling this request will exceed [amount, e.g. $25], please let me know before proceeding. I'm requesting these records for personal, non-commercial use.

I understand the law provides [number] business days for a response. Please confirm receipt and let me know if you need anything from me to locate these records.

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Your mailing address, if required]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A well-run office acknowledges within a few days and either sends the records or says how long they need. A partial release with the exemptions cited is normal; a flat denial with no reason, or silence past the deadline, is what you appeal.
  • If the office says the request is too broad, narrow it by date range or record type in one reply rather than arguing.
  • If you get a fee estimate that seems high, ask for the records in electronic form only, and ask whether inspecting them in person is free, which it often is.
  • Every records law has an appeal route, usually to the agency head, a state attorney general or records ombudsman, or a court. The denial letter should tell you which; if it does not, ask.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get public records from a government office for me 
Hi StandIn,

Please request some public records from a government office and follow through until I have them.

The office: [agency name, city or county, and contact if I have one].
The records I want: [as specific as I can be: type, subject, addresses or names, and date range].
Why I need them, if useful: [one sentence].
Format I want: [electronic / paper].
Fee limit: [amount].
When I need them: [date].

Find the right records contact if I have not named one, send the request, track the response deadline, narrow the request if they say it is too broad, and bring me the records or the denial with its stated reason.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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