FOIA for Data from the DC Government

This is a repo of:

1. How I FOIA (and maybe how you can too!)
2. What I receive in response
3. How I transform those FOIA responses into more usable data

Let’s FOIA!

DC Open Government Coalition is a great resource for learning more about FOIA laws, the process, and your rights.

This is DC’s FOIA website.

My two favorite places to file FOIAs are:

MuckRock is a place where you can file FOIA requests that are publicly seen and responded to. DC government is not always responsive on Muckrock, so I often use their preferred platform (below).

DC FOIA Platform

How I FOIA:

Here is my generic FOIA request template.

When agencies are unresponsive within the first 15 days, I file an appeal. Here is my appeal template for when agencies don't respond.

Each repo has data or documents I've received, along with any transformations to make the data more accessible. For February 2018 I attempted to file a FOIA a day. I got close. Here's the list and progress.

Much of this guidance originated from Justin Grimes. If you find the information here helpful consider rating him highly today.

Questions? Comments? Resources? Submit a pull request or email me at [email protected].