Services

Submit a FOIA Request

• Building Inspections Records (FOIA) - Request Building Inspections information, such as inspection reports, copies of plans and permit data.
• Fire / EMS Reports - Obtain copies of Fire and EMS reports.
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Environmental Site Assessment - Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) records requests pertaining to Phase I Environmental Site Assessments can be submitted through numerous avenues.
• Police Reports, Records and Freedom of Information Act - The Henrico Police Criminal Records Unit provides the public with a variety of police records and oversees Freedom of Information Act requests.

Fulfilling your request

Henrico County will respond within five working days of receiving a request.  “Day One” is considered the day after your request is received. The five-day period does not include weekends or holidays.  The reason behind your request for public records from Henrico County General Government is irrelevant, and you do not have to state why you want the records before we respond to your request. FOIA does, however, allow Henrico to require you to provide your name and legal address.

FOIA requires that Henrico County General Government make one of the following responses to your request within the five-day time period:

• Provide the records requested in their entirety.
• Withhold all of the records requested, because all of the records are subject to a specific statutory exemption.  If all of the records are being withheld, a response in writing will be sent with an explanation of the exemption.  That response will identify the volume and subject matter of the records being withheld, and state the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows the records to be withheld.
• Provide some of the records requested, but withhold other records.  An entire record will not be withheld if only a portion of it is subject to an exemption.  In that instance, the portion of the record that may be withheld will be redacted, the remainder of the record will be provided.  A written response stating the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows portions of the requested records to be withheld will be sent.
• Respond in writing that the requested records cannot be found or do not exist.  However, if another public body has the requested records, contact information for the other public body will be included in the response.
• If Henrico County cannot respond to a request within the five-day period, you will be informed in writing, explaining the conditions that make the response impossible.  This will allow seven additional working days to respond to a request, providing a total of 12 working days to respond to a request.

If a request for a very large number of records is made, and it is determined that it cannot be provided within 12 working days without disrupting other organizational responsibilities, the County may petition the court for additional time to respond to your request.  However, FOIA requires that a reasonable effort be made to reach an agreement concerning the production or the records before going to court to ask for more time.

Costs

A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records. No public body shall impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating and maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. All charges for the supplying of requested records shall be estimated in advance at the request of the citizen as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.

• FOIA allows Henrico County General Government to charge for actual costs of respond to records requests. Costs include such as staff time, copying costs or any other costs directly related to supplying the requested records. It will not include general overhead costs.
• If the estimated cost is more than $200, a deposit may be required (not to exceed the amount of the estimate), before proceeding with your request.  The five days to respond to a request does not include the time between a request for a deposit and a response from the requestor.
• If requested, an estimate of the charges will be provided prior to supplying the records requested.
• You may request that we estimate in advance the charges for supply the records that you have requested. This will allow you to know about any costs upfront, or give you the opportunity to modify your request in an attempt to lower the estimated costs.
• If money is owed from a previous FOIA request that has remained unpaid for more than 30 days, Henrico County may require payment of the past-due bill before responding to a new FOIA request.