File a public records request that actually produces documents

  1. List the government bodies that could hold the records
    1 hour

    What this step produces: a one-page table of every office that could hold the records — the agency you are fighting, its subunits, and any contractor that did the work — with the records-request contact named next to each. The trap: records rarely sit in one place, and the office that issued the decision is often not the office that filed the paperwork.

    Build the list by moving outward from the dispute:

    • Name the office that made the decision or took the action you are contesting.
    • Add its subunits and field offices — inspection, enforcement, permitting, legal, records management.
    • Add the layers that could hold copies: federal, state, county, city, and special districts (school, water, housing).
    • Contractors: if a private firm performed the work, list the agency as the holder and request through it — the contractor itself is not a public body, but records it created for the agency are obtainable through the agency.
    • Find the records officer for each candidate: federal agencies are listed on FOIA.gov; state and local offices name one on their “public records” page, usually under the clerk, city attorney, or general counsel.

    Write the list as a table with four columns: Holder | Level (federal/state/county/city) | Why it may hold the record | Records contact.