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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

Links below go to the agencies' main FOIA pages. From there, you should be able to locate information about requesting information via FOIA and links to the agency's FOIA "reading room" or "library" to read documents that have been released in response to FOIA requests.

 

AbilityOne Commission Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
Administration for Children and Families Fish and Wildlife Service
Administrative Conference of the United States Food and Drug Administration
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Food and Nutrition Service
Agency for International Development Food Safety and Inspection Service
Agricultural Marketing Service General Services Administration
Agricultural Research Service Immigration and Customs Enforcement
American Battle Monuments Commission Indian Health Service
AmeriCorps (previously, Corporation for National and Community Service) Institute of Museum and Library Services
Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) Inter-American Foundation
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Internal Revenue Service
Attorney General's Office International Boundary and Water Commission
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Legal Services Corporation
Bureau of Indian Affairs Library of Congress Copyright Office
Bureau of Land Management Maritime Administration
Bureau of Public Debt Merit Systems Protection Board
Census Bureau Millennium Challenge Corporation
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services National Archives and Records Administration
Central Intelligence Agency National Capital Planning Commission
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board National Credit Union Administration
Commission on Civil Rights National Endowment for the Arts
Commodity Futures Trading Commission National Endowment for the Humanities
Consumer Financial Protection Board National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Consumer Product Safety Commission 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 Parole Commission
Executive Office for Immigration Review Peace Corps
Export-Import Bank Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Farm Credit Administration Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation Postal Regulatory Commission
Farm Service Agency Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Federal Aviation Administration Railroad Retirement Board
Federal Bureau of Investigation Secret Service
Federal Bureau of Prisons Securities and Exchange Commission
Federal Communications Commission Selective Service System
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Small Business Administration
Federal Election Commission Social Security Administration
Federal Emergency Management Agency Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Surface Transportation Board
Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council Tennessee Valley Authority
Federal Highway Administration Transportation Security Agency
Federal Housing Finance Agency United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Federal Labor Relations Board United States International Trade Commission
Federal Maritime Commission United States Patent and Trademark Office
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service United States Postal Service
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission United States Trade and Development Agency
Federal Reserve System U.S. Agency for Global Media (previously, Broadcasting Board of Governors)
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board U.S. Development Finance Corporation (previously, Overseas Private Investment Corporation)
Federal Trade Commission 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.