How to Fill Out and Submit an Illinois FOIA Request Form

To file an Illinois FOIA request form, send a written request to the designated FOIA Officer at the public body that holds the records. Illinois law does not require any specific form: a letter, email, or fax that identifies the records you want is legally sufficient, and no agency may reject your request because you didn’t use its preferred format.¹ The Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) applies to every state agency, county, municipality, township, school district, and any other body that spends public funds or carries out government functions.²

Where to Get a Form

Most public bodies post a downloadable FOIA request form on their website, usually on the same page that lists the FOIA Officer’s name and contact information. The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor also publishes a sample request letter you can adapt for any agency.³ Using one of these forms helps you cover the basics, but it is never required. A plain email that describes the records you want is enough.

What to Put in the Request

You don’t have to explain why you want the records. You do need to put the request in writing and describe what you’re asking for clearly enough that the agency can find it.¹ Include these items:

Your full name, mailing address, email, and phone number, so the agency can deliver records or ask clarifying questions.
A specific description of the records. Identify them by type, department, date range, and subject. “All emails between the Village Manager and the Parks Department about the Oak Street project from January through March 2025” works much better than “records about the park.”
Your preferred format: paper copies, PDFs by email, or records on a disc or flash drive. If you don’t say, the agency chooses.
A fee waiver request, if the records primarily serve the public interest rather than personal or commercial use. State your purpose and explain how the information benefits the general public.

One category changes the rules: a “commercial purpose” request, meaning you plan to use the records for sale, resale, or advertising. Those requests get longer timelines and different fees. Requests from news media and nonprofit or academic organizations are generally not treated as commercial.⁴ If your request is non-commercial, saying so up front avoids confusion, though the agency cannot demand that you justify a standard request.

How and Where to Submit It

Send the request to the FOIA Officer designated by the public body. Every agency must prominently post, both at its offices and on its website, a description of how to submit FOIA requests, including the address to use.⁵ If you can’t find it, call the main number and ask for the FOIA Officer’s name and email.

Agencies must accept requests by mail, personal delivery, fax, email, or any other method they offer. Email is the fastest route and automatically creates a timestamped record. If you mail your request, use certified mail with a return receipt so you have proof of delivery. If you hand-deliver, ask the clerk to date-stamp your copy. That delivery timestamp matters, because the response clock starts on the first business day after the agency receives the request, not the day it arrives.¹

What It Costs

The first 50 pages of black-and-white, letter- or legal-sized copies are free. After that, the agency can charge up to 15 cents per page.⁶ For electronic records, you only pay the actual cost of the storage medium, such as a disc or flash drive. For non-commercial requests, the agency cannot bill you for staff time spent searching or reviewing.

You can request a full or reduced fee waiver when the records primarily serve the public interest. The statute requires you to state your specific purpose and explain how the information benefits the general public, for example by contributing to public understanding of government operations or protecting legal rights. The agency decides whether the principal purpose is public benefit rather than personal or commercial gain.⁶

When You Should Hear Back

For a standard non-commercial request, the agency has five business days after receipt to produce the records or issue a written denial.⁷ The agency can extend the deadline by another five business days if it notifies you in writing and cites one of the statutory reasons, such as records stored at a different location, a request requiring a large number of specified records, a broad request that requires an extensive search, records needing review by specialized staff for exemptions, or the need to consult with another public body.

Commercial-purpose requests get a 21-business-day window instead.⁴ A separate “voluminous request” category applies when a request covers more than five categories of records in a 20-business-day period or requires compiling more than 500 pages, and that category also carries its own timelines.⁸

If the agency misses the deadline without responding or requesting an extension, the law treats that silence as a denial, called a “deemed denial,” and your appeal rights kick in immediately.⁷

If Your Request Is Denied

Some records are exempt. Section 7 of the Act protects categories including private information like Social Security numbers, active law enforcement investigative files, records barred by federal or state law such as HIPAA medical records and FERPA student records, preliminary drafts and deliberative materials, and security records for correctional facilities. When exemptions apply only to parts of a document, the agency must still release the rest; redacting a Social Security number on a contract doesn’t justify withholding the whole contract.⁹

A denial has to do more than say no. It must be in writing and include the specific statutory exemption the agency relies on, a detailed factual explanation of why that exemption applies, and the names or titles of the people responsible for the decision. It must also tell you about your right to appeal to the Public Access Counselor and your right to seek judicial review.¹⁰ A denial that just cites a section number without explaining the facts does not meet the statute, and that alone can be grounds for a successful appeal.

You have two appeal paths. The free option is a Request for Review to the Public Access Counselor at the Attorney General’s office. File a signed written letter summarizing the facts, with your original request and the agency’s response attached, within 60 calendar days of the denial or deemed denial.¹¹ The PAC can issue a binding opinion ordering release. The other option is a lawsuit in circuit court, which can order production of the records and, if you win, must award your reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.¹²

1
Illinois Attorney General. Illinois Freedom of Information Act Frequently Asked Questions By the Public
2
Illinois General Assembly. 5 ILCS 140 – Freedom of Information Act
3
Office of the Illinois Attorney General. Public Access Counselor
4
Illinois Emergency Management Agency. FOIA Frequently Asked Questions
5
Illinois Attorney General. FOIA Officer Fact Sheet
6
Illinois General Assembly. 5 ILCS 140/6 – Authority to Charge Fees
7
Illinois General Assembly. 5 ILCS 140/3 – Inspection and Copying of Public Records
8
Illinois Attorney General. FOIA Guide for Law Enforcement
9
Illinois General Assembly. 5 ILCS 140/7 – Exemptions
10
Illinois Attorney General. Sample FOIA Denial of Request Letter
11
Illinois Attorney General. Public Access Counselor Guide
12
Illinois General Assembly. 5 ILCS 140/11 – Court Remedies