Last updated: July 2026
FOIAfile (“FOIAfile,” “we,” “us”) is a self-service platform that helps you prepare, deliver, and track Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to United States federal agencies and public records requests to state and local agencies in the jurisdictions we support (currently Ohio, California, New York, Texas, and Florida). We generate formatted request letters and, where an agency accepts email, deliver them to the agency on your behalf. For other agencies, we prepare your request for you to submit through the agency's own portal.
FOIAfile is a self-service document preparation and filing platform. FOIAfile is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, legal representation, or legal services of any kind. Use of FOIAfile does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and FOIAfile or any other entity.
The documents, templates, request letters, appeal letters, and other materials generated by FOIAfile are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. While these materials are designed using legal research and statutory citations, they are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction who is familiar with the specific facts of your situation.
FOIAfile may include features powered by artificial intelligence (including the AI Denial Analyzer and AI Request Refiner). AI-generated analysis and suggestions are for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. AI outputs may contain errors or inaccuracies.
FOIAfile displays estimated agency response timeframes and may send you reminder and alert emails about your requests. These features are provided as an informational convenience only. Deadline estimates are calculated from general statutory timeframes and may not account for extensions, tolling, agency-specific rules, holidays, or the specific facts of your request. Alert delivery depends on email systems and scheduled processes that can fail or be delayed, and we do not guarantee that any alert will be generated, accurate, or received.
You are solely responsible for tracking all deadlines that apply to your requests, including agency response deadlines, administrative appeal windows, and statutes of limitations for any legal action. FOIAfile is not a docketing or calendaring system, and you should not rely on it as your only means of tracking any date that affects your legal rights.
Failure by FOIAfile to display a deadline, display a correct deadline, or send an alert does not extend any deadline and does not create any liability of FOIAfile to you, as further described in the Limitation of Liability section below.
If you request a legal consultation through the platform, we may share your request details and contact information with independent licensed attorneys for evaluation. Any referral is provided as a convenience; it does not constitute a recommendation or guarantee of outcome, and no attorney-client relationship is created unless and until you sign a separate engagement agreement with an attorney. FOIAfile is not a party to, and is not responsible for, any engagement between you and any attorney.
FOIAfile offers an optional attorney profile that lets you include your bar number, law firm information, and an attorney signature block on documents you generate. If you enable this feature, you represent and warrant that: (a) you are an attorney duly licensed and in good standing in each jurisdiction you identify; (b) all bar, firm, and contact information you provide is accurate and current, and you will promptly update it if it changes; and (c) you are authorized to file the requests you submit in a professional capacity.
When you file in a professional capacity, the resulting documents are signed in your name and under your bar credentials. You are solely responsible for reviewing every document before it is submitted and for your compliance with all professional responsibility, ethics, and unauthorized-practice rules that apply to you, including any obligations to your clients. FOIAfile does not verify bar membership or licensure, is not your agent, co-counsel, or law firm, and assumes no professional responsibility for documents filed under your credentials.
Enabling the attorney profile does not change the nature of the service: FOIAfile remains a self-service document preparation and delivery tool and does not provide legal advice to you or to your clients.
Firm-tier subscribers may create a team and invite members by email. By creating or joining a team, you understand and agree that requests attributed to the team — including their contents, status, client or matter references, agency correspondence, and requester details — are visible to all members of that team. When a team is created, the creator's existing requests are attributed to the team; requests filed by a member after joining are also attributed to the team. Do not include information in a request or matter reference that you are not prepared to share with every member of your team.
The team owner is responsible for who they invite and for removing access when appropriate. You are responsible for ensuring that sharing request information within your team is consistent with your obligations of confidentiality, including any duties owed to clients.
By using FOIAfile, you agree to:
Certain features require payment of one-time fees or a subscription, billed through our payment processor. Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled; you may cancel at any time from your account settings or the billing portal, and access continues through the end of the paid period. Except where required by law, fees are non-refundable once a request letter has been generated or delivered.
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT AGENCIES WILL RESPOND TO YOUR REQUESTS, THAT EMAIL DELIVERY WILL SUCCEED, THAT DEADLINE ESTIMATES OR ALERTS WILL BE ACCURATE OR TIMELY, OR THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IS COMPLETE OR CURRENT.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, FOIAFILE AND ITS OWNERS, OPERATORS, AND AFFILIATES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF RIGHTS, CLAIMS, OR REMEDIES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE — INCLUDING ANY MISSED, MISCALCULATED, OR UNNOTIFIED DEADLINE — WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100) OR THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO FOIAFILE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
We strive to maintain service availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the service at any time. We may update these Terms from time to time; the “Last updated” date above reflects the current version, and continued use of the service after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the service shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Ohio, and you consent to their jurisdiction.
By creating an account, checking the acceptance box at signup, or using the service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.