How to file a request

FOIA Checklist

The following is a checklist* for Freedom of Information Act requests in Detroit:

  • Make sure you are addressing the correspondence to the correct department. For the City of Detroit, address the FOIA section:

Law Department
City of Detroit
1650 First National Building
660 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, MI 48226

  • Describe the information requested in detail so that it can be located.
  • Describe where you think the documents may be located. For example, if you are looking for information about road repairs, suggest that the documents might be held by the streets department.
  • Describe the subject matter of the documents requested and, if possible, the date the documents were created.
  • Advise the department that you are requesting documents pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and refer to the Act as MCL 15.231 et seq.

Use of the checklist is suggested, not mandated. For example, it is not necessary to cite the Freedom of Information Act statute when making a request. Requests and responses to requests are governed by the specific language of the Freedom of Information Act, not by the checklist. You should read the statute before taking advice from a wiki page.

Once you make the FOIA request, there's certain bureaucratic machinery that kicks in to ensure that the institution is responding to the letter of the statute.

Sample letter

Your Name
Address
734-555-1212

October 16, 2008

RECORDS REQUEST

Dear Records Request Officer:

Pursuant to the state open records act, I request access to and copies
of [fill in docs].

[if you want electronic copies, add this paragraph]
I am requesting a copy of the information in its current format
(for example, a Word document or Excel file). I am happy to provide a 
blank CD or USB thumb drive to copy the files. [Optional: I am not requesting 
scanned copies of paper documents.]

I am willing to pay up to $[fill in amount] for costs associated with
compliance with this request. It is my expectation, however, that all
fees associated with this request be waived on the grounds that the
information obtained is not for purposes of a commercial venture, and
is in the public interest. If the fees exceed $[amount], please contact
me at (phone number and email) before processing the request.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all
deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act.
Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Background on the FOIA process

Plenty, if used as postage on a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The scope of information available to the public, upon request, is nothing less than staggering. The FOIA is a tremendous tool for anyone involved in legal matters with local, state, or federal government. Under Michigan and federal FOIA laws, anyone can request information, and obtain costs and attorney fees if the government fails to produce the goods. Any fourth grader, working on a project for school, has a legal right to ask the Board of Pharmacy for a copy of the local druggist’s college transcript. No reason need be given, except when asking for certain internal government memorandums. If information is kept in any type of records, and should be public information, it must be provided, no matter what the requester’s motive.

Where to send your request

Attorney Ellen Ha, the city's FOIA coordinator

City of Detroit

Law Department
City of Detroit
1650 First National Building
660 Woodward Ave.
Detroit,  MI 48226
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