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U.S. Government Information: FOIA Offices & Resources

Guide to information resources by and about the federal government.

FOIA Documents

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides the public with the right to request records from federal agencies. Agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA, except for that which falls under one of nine exemptions or one of three law enforcement exclusions.

Most agency websites include a FOIA section, where the agency posts information such as:

  • how to request documents under FOIA
  • frequently-requested documents, usually in a section labeled "Electronic Reading Room" or "FOIA Library"
  • quarterly/annual reports that describe the agency's FOIA activities (e.g. number of requests received/processed, reasons for denying requests, fees collected, amount of staff time to processing requests)

Many documents, reports, and other publications not proactively published to agency websites are requested under FOIA by journalists, watchdog organizations, and others. There is no comprehensive collection of these, although many are uploaded to DocumentCloud, organizations' websites (such as those listed under "non-governmental collections" below), or embedded in online news articles.

Federal FOIA Websites

AbilityOne Commission Federal Trade Commission
Administration for Children and Families Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
Administrative Conference of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Food and Drug Administration
Agency for International Development Food and Nutrition Service
Agricultural Marketing Service Food Safety and Inspection Service
Agricultural Research Service General Services Administration
American Battle Monuments Commission Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) Indian Health Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Institute of Museum and Library Services
Attorney General's Office Inter-American Foundation
Broadcasting Board of Governors (changed to U.S. Agency for Global Media) Internal Revenue Service
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives International Boundary and Water Commission
Bureau of Indian Affairs Legal Services Corporation
Bureau of Land Management Library of Congress Copyright Office
Bureau of Public Debt Maritime Administration
Census Bureau Merit Systems Protection Board
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Millennium Challenge Corporation
Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Central Intelligence Agency National Archives and Records Administration
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board National Capital Planning Commission
Commission on Civil Rights National Credit Union Administration
Commodity Futures Trading Commission National Endowment for the Arts
Consumer Financial Protection Board National Endowment for the Humanities
Consumer Product Safety Commission National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Corporation for National and Community Service (changed to AmeriCorps) National Indian Gaming Commission
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency National Institutes of Health
Council on Environmental Quality National Labor Relations Board
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency National Mediation Board
Customs and Border Protection National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Defense Intelligence Agency National Park Service
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board National Science Foundation
Department of Agriculture National Security Agency
Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service
Department of Defense National Transportation Safety Board
Department of Education Naval History and Heritage Command
Department of Energy Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Department of Health and Human Services Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Department of Homeland Security Office of Government Ethics
Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Legal Counsel
Department of the Interior Office of Management and Budget
Department of Justice Office of National Drug Control Policy
Department of Labor Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation
Department of State Office of Personnel Management
Department of Transportation Office of Science and Technology Policy
Department of the Treasury Office of Special Counsel
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Drug Enforcement Administration Office of the Pardon Attorney
Election Assistance Commission Office of the United States Trade Representative
Environmental Protection Agency Office on Violence Against Women
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Overseas Private Investment Corporation (changed to U.S. Development Finance Corporation)
Executive Office for Immigration Review Parole Commission
Export-Import Bank Peace Corps
Farm Credit Administration Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Farm Service Agency Postal Regulatory Commission
Federal Aviation Administration Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Federal Bureau of Investigation Railroad Retirement Board
Federal Bureau of Prisons Secret Service
Federal Communications Commission Securities and Exchange Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Selective Service System
Federal Election Commission Small Business Administration
Federal Emergency Management Agency Social Security Administration
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council Surface Transportation Board
Federal Highway Administration Tennessee Valley Authority
Federal Housing Finance Agency Transportation Security Agency
Federal Labor Relations Board United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Federal Maritime Commission United States International Trade Commission
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service United States Patent and Trademark Office
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission United States Postal Service
Federal Reserve System United States Trade and Development Agency
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board U.S. Geological Survey

 

General Federal Websites

Declassified Documents

See also the Declassified Documents page on this guide to find related collections of previously-classified materials which have been made available online.