Denied Public Records Request (FOIA) Kit

Five tools, in the order you'd actually need them — every one of them completely free to use.

This kit follows the real sequence of getting records a public body is refusing or ignoring: file the records request properly — or resubmit it if the first one was vague or incomplete — track every piece of correspondence and every deadline, then appeal formally if the request is denied or ignored. A precise request and a dated paper trail make any appeal far stronger. Every tool in this kit is completely free to use — no account, no payment, no catch.

The sequence

Public bodies usually have a legal deadline to respond, and appeal windows can be short — log the date you filed and the date of any refusal from the start.

Step 1 · File it properly

Make (or remake) the request

A clear, specific records request citing the right law, plus a checklist so it isn't rejected as too broad or incomplete. The main tool in this kit.

  1. 1Administrative Information Request Generator →
  2. 2FOIA / Public Records Request Checklist →

Step 2 · Track it

Log every reply and deadline

Every letter, email, call, reference number, and response deadline — the record you'll rely on if you have to appeal.

  1. 3Government Correspondence & Communication Log →

Step 3 · Appeal it

If it's denied or ignored

Challenge a refusal, a partial release, or no response at all through a formal appeal or review, with the evidence it needs gathered first.

  1. 4Administrative Appeal, Review & Decision Response Generator →
  2. 5Evidence Collection Checklist for Government Complaints →