Is there a cost for obtaining federal records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?
By law, the USGS is authorized to charge Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processing fees to requesters in order to recover the direct costs of search, review, and duplication of requested records. The fees depend on the requester category into which you fall.
If the total costs of supplying the requested information is less than 50 dollars, the USGS will waive any applicable FOIA processing fees. If the total costs will exceed 250 dollars, you may be required to pay the FOIA processing fees before we begin our record search. The USGS can charge search and review costs even if we do not locate records or if we withhold the records in their entirety.
When submitting a request, please include a statement indicating the amount that you are willing to pay for the processing of your request (e.g. I am willing to pay 75.00 dollars for processing my FOIA request). If our costs are going to exceed the amount you are willing to pay, we will notify you before proceeding with your request.
For additional information, see the FOIA.gov site or send an email to foia@usgs.gov.
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Does the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cover contract-related requests? Does the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cover contract-related requests?
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Related
Does the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cover contract-related requests? Does the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cover contract-related requests?
Yes, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) covers contract-related requests. Prior to submitting your request, check USAspending.gov to determine what information about the contract is already publicly available. If you decide to submit a FOIA request, please provide the award ID number or the name of the awardee so that we can quickly search for the record(s). If you are a contractor who wants to...
How do I check the status of my U.S. Geological Survey Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request? How do I check the status of my U.S. Geological Survey Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request?
If you are a registered requester with the Department of the Interior’s FOIA Public Access Link (PAL), Sign In to view the status of your request(s), send a message to the FOIA Office, or download responsive records once they are delivered. If you are not a registered requester, you can still check the status of your request by clicking on Check Request Status in the PAL toolbar. Be prepared to...
Can I ask that any Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processing fees be waived? Can I ask that any Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processing fees be waived?
Yes, you can request a waiver of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processing fees. Under the FOIA, fee waivers are limited to situations in which a requester can show that the disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government and is not primarily in the...