Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Michigan's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq, provides that all persons are entitled to full and complete information as to a public body’s fulfillment of statutory functions and concerning the inner working of government in general. 

Upon providing a public body’s FOIA coordinator with a written request that describes a public record sufficiently to enable the public body to find the public record, a person has a right to inspect, copy, or receive copies of the requested public record of the public body, consistent with the Act.  A public body may charge a fee to cover the cost of processing a request. 

Including the specific search terms and date range in the records request will assist the public body in conducting a search and retrieval of potentially responsive documents and may thereby reduce potential costs.