Source: https://dcpsc.org/Orders-and-Regulations/DC-Code-and-FOIA/Freedom-of-Information-Act.aspx
Timestamp: 2018-08-16 23:51:23
Document Index: 642032661

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 1', '§ 705', '§ 2', '§ 408', '§ 2', '§ 400']

PSCDC - Freedom of Information Act
Orders, Reports and Regulations > DC Code and FOIA > Freedom of Information Act
Under the District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, DC Official Code §§ 2-531 et seq., any person has the right to request access to public records. All public bodies of the District government are required to disclose public records, except for those records or portions of records, that are protected from disclosure by the exemptions found in DC Official Code § 2-534.
Anyone may submit a FOIA request. There is no central FOIA office in the District government. Each agency responds to requests for its own records. To submit a request, you should determine which agency is likely to maintain the records you are seeking and submit a request to the FOIA Officer of that agency. Please refer to the FOIA Officer list for contact information.
The General Counsel is the FOIA Officer for the Public Service Commission and is the principal point of contact within the Public Service Commission for advice and policy guidance on matters pertaining to the administration of the FOIA. In addition, the FOIA Case Manager is available to assist in responding to all FOIA requests. All requests are handled professionally and expeditiously.
Pursuant to Title 1 D.C.M.R. § 1-402, FOIA requests may be made orally or in writing. However, the Commission may require any oral request to be reduced to writing and submitted to the Commission Secretary’s Office for expeditious review. Written requests that are submitted via mail shall prominently indicate "FOIA Request" on the envelope and written requests submitted via electronic mail shall indicate “FOIA Request” in the subject line. Both mailed and electronically mailed FOIA requests shall be sent to the Commission Secretary’s Office for docketing and processing. After the FOIA request has been docketed, the FOIA Officer and FOIA Case Manager will be notified.
In accordance with 15 D.C.M.R. § 705, the Commission may charge fees for services rendered responding to a FOIA request, including but not limited to, $1.50 per hour spent searching for records (not to exceed $10.00 for each request) and $0.15 per page for the reproduction of documents.
For more information on how to file an FOIA request, visit Freedom of Information Act.
Commission Secretary’s Office
psc-commissionsecretary@dc.gov
202-626-5150
Sanford Speight
All agencies are required to respond to a FOIA request within 15 working days (that is, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays). The response period begins on the date the request is actually received by the FOIA Officer of the public body that maintains the records you are requesting. Public bodies may extend the time for a response by an additional 10 working days (again, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays) for unusual circumstances, as defined by DC Official Code § 2-532(d).
There is no initial fee for submitting a FOIA request. However, an agency may charge fees for searching, reviewing, and reproducing records as provided in 1 DCMR § 408. You may include in your request letter a specific statement limiting the amount of fees you are willing to pay. Please be aware that you may have to pay search and/or review fees even if the search does not locate any responsive records or if records are located but are withheld as exempt.
1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Suite 221
The information contained on this webpage is provided as a helpful summary of the DC FOIA. Please refer to the FOIA statute at DC Official Code §§ 2-531 et seq. and the FOIA regulations at 1 DCMR §§ 400 et seq. for additional information.