Terms such as this make it impossible to locate records that will bet meet your needs, and process them in a timely manner.ĭo provide property addresses, ownership history and location(s) of property if you are seeking permitting records.ĭon't send copies of maps, illustrations or other attachments that you think might show where property is located. Doing this is likely to delay our ability to process a response for you in a timely manner.ĭo make sure to be as specific as possible when describing the records you need to best meet your needs.ĭon't send a request asking for "any and/or all" records that "may relate to" a given subject or project. Please remember that each request is processed on a first in/first out basis, and while we understand and appreciate the importance/significance of your particular needs, we do have other requests in our queue and response efforts ongoing for a number of matters at any given time.ĭo send your request directly to the Mobile District FOIA Office:ĭon't send your request to another Mobile District office or staff person. Listed below are some essential things to keep in mind when you submit a request. In making a request you should be as specific as possible with regard to names, titles, dates, places, events, subjects, recipients, type of document, the offices likely to maintain the documents, etc. In sum, requests must state a willingness to pay the applicable fees and must describe the documents requested in sufficient detail to allow the FOIA Office to locate them with a reasonable amount of effort. We have provided a specific list of the details that must be included in any request (below), and have provided a sample Request Letter as a reference tool. There are a number of factors that do need to be taken into consideration before that clock begins to tick, so it's essential that requesters provide us with the most precise and detailed information about their requests so that we can process them as quickly as possible as soon as we receive them. The FOIA allows our office 20 working days to process a request. The FOIA process also provides some limited measures of security and/or protection of potentially proprietary and/or personal information that may be included in our records. The FOIA process not only ensures that you get a response to your request in a timely manner, the process also ensures that you get the records you are specifically looking for. Requests must be submitted in writing, we cannot process verbal requests. º Agreement to pay minimal fees or request for fee waiver (see guidelines below) º Description of records you are seeking (see guidelines below) ( Submit FOIA Requests via E-mail HERE ). The general "rule of thumb" in the Mobile District is that if someone in the public sector wishes to obtain copies or to gain access to records we may have, and those records are not currently available online or through other public access venues, a Freedom of Information Act request must be submitted. PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE DIRECTLY WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS. The law itself is rather complex, and in the Mobile District we take pride in the fact that we have established a simple program that allows requesters to submit requests quickly and (hopefully) easily that then allow us to process those requests expeditiously.ĭUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC REQUESTERS SHOULD EXPECT DELAYS IN RESPONSES. By allowing access to government records, the public then has a means by which to see and understand how the government does business. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law that was established by Congress that allows members of the public to obtain copies of government records.
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