FOIA Law COVID-19 Related Changes

The District of Columbia’s processing of D.C. Freedom of Information Act requests submitted between March 11, 2020 and January 15, 2021, may have been delayed or tolled completely due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Those requests will now be processed no later than forty-five (45) business days after January 15, 2021.

If the District of Columbia’s processing of your FOIA request presents the need to conduct an on-site review of records during the time when the Mayor of the District of Columbia has declared a public health emergency or if the public body is closed due to COVID-19, your FOIA request may not be processed until forty-five (45) days after the public health emergency or COVID-19 closure has ended.

For all other FOIA requests submitted after January 15, 2021, under D.C. Official Code § 2-532, the District of Columbia has fifteen (15) business days, subject to the possibility of a ten (10) business-day extension, to respond to your public record request as of the date of receipt. However, if the public record requested in a body-worn camera recording recorded by the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, the District of Columbia has twenty-five (25) business days to respond, subject to the possibility of a fifteen (15) business-day extension.

*ATTENTION FOIA OFFICERS* GUIDANCE FOR PROCESSING FOIA REQUESTS AFTER THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY MAY BE ACCESSED HERE: https://www.open-dc.gov/documents/post-public-health-emergency-guidance-...