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GlossaryPublic records, privacy, and data quality

Public records request

A public records request asks an agency for existing records under the applicable law. Clear record types, dates, and scope help identify what is sought.

A public records request asks a government agency to provide access to identified records under the applicable records-access law. It is a way to seek existing documents or data, including material that has not been proactively published. The correct process depends on the government and agency that hold the records.

For federal agencies, FOIA.gov explains that a request should reasonably describe the records sought and go to the responsible agency. Federal FOIA does not require an agency to create a new record, perform research, or answer questions as a substitute for providing records. State and local requests follow their own laws and procedures. FOIA.gov frequently asked questions

Describe the records you need

A useful request identifies the subject, record type, date range, and agency activity closely enough to guide a search. An incident number, location, or known report title can help when available. The aim is to describe the records, not to guess the agency's internal file names perfectly.

For data, distinguish a request for an existing export from a request for a new analysis. Asking for call records and the corresponding data dictionary is different from asking an agency to explain why calls increased. The first identifies records; the second seeks an interpretation that may not already exist in recorded form.

Check the agency's public records page and published datasets first. Seattle's records guide, for example, directs readers to commonly requested categories and existing information. A published source may answer the question or help identify the precise additional records needed. Seattle commonly requested records

Example

Hypothetical: A resident wants to understand changes in fire response during one calendar year. A focused request asks for an existing incident export for that year, including incident identifier, call type, available dispatch and arrival timestamps, and the data dictionary defining those fields.

The request does not assume that every field exists or is releasable. If the agency explains that its export uses different field names, that clarification can help align the request with the records it actually maintains.

By contrast, “Send everything proving response got worse” combines an undefined record scope with a conclusion. It gives less practical guidance for finding records and does not replace the analysis needed to assess response performance.

Common confusion

A records request is not the same as a service complaint, emergency report, or request for an investigation. Those have different purposes and routing. Asking for existing incident records does not reopen the incident or require the agency to make a new factual finding.

An acknowledgement is not necessarily the completed production. Agencies may seek clarification, explain fees, provide records in installments, or identify withheld material according to the applicable rules. A response deadline and the time required to finish producing records are not always the same thing.

“No responsive records” is also different from a disclosure exemption. The first concerns what the search located within the request's scope; the second concerns information withheld under a legal basis. Neither should be paraphrased as proof that an event never happened.

Keeping the request interpretable

Save the request text, tracking number, clarifications, and response correspondence with the received files. Those materials explain the search scope and help later readers understand omissions.

Use the agency's current instructions for submission, fees, review, and appeal procedures. There is no single national form or deadline governing every local agency. When sharing findings, describe the records actually received and their coverage rather than implying that the request produced a complete account of all agency activity.

Sources