Describing What You Want
Your request must "reasonably describe" the records you are seeking. This means the description must be specific enough that a government employee familiar with the agency's files will be able to locate the records within a reasonable amount of time and without an unreasonable amount of effort.

You don't have to explain why you want the information you are seeking - but an explanation may be helpful if you want the agency to comply more fully with your request, and it may be required if you want the agency to waive its fees or expedite the processing of your request.

The more precise and accurate your request, the more likely you are to get a prompt and complete response, of course, and the lower the search fees will be.

An agency will contact you if it needs more clarification.

< Planning Your Strategy

Make Requests As Specific As Possible >