Free Public Records Request Letter Generator
Request police reports, bodycam video, agency files or your own medical records with a letter that cites the right law, quotes the response deadline the way the statute words it, and tells you the date the answer is due.
Quick answer: A public records request letter names the law (FOIA for federal agencies, your state's act for state and local agencies and police, HIPAA for your own medical records), describes the records precisely, asks for a format and a fee estimate, and keeps the agency to its statutory deadline. Federal agencies get 20 working days, HIPAA providers 30 days, Texas offices must certify a later date if they cannot produce within 10 business days, California agencies decide within 10 days, New York within five business days, and Florida has no fixed number of days.
1. What records, and who holds them?
Your letter will be made under the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552, Texas Government Code). The response rule is Tex. Gov't Code § 552.221(d).
2. Describe the records
3. Who is asking, and who receives it
4. Format and fees
What this tool does not cover
- Texas body-worn camera request rule: the old Occupations Code Subchapter N (§ 1701.651 and following) does not appear in the current Chapter 1701 text on the Texas Legislature statutes server, so we cite no Texas bodycam-specific rule. Body camera recordings are requested under the Public Information Act like any other record; give the date, approximate time, specific location and the names of people involved.
- New York and Florida body camera rules: no bodycam-specific provision was verified, so none is cited.
- Florida has no statutory response deadline in Chapter 119, so no due date is computed for Florida.
- State medical records laws (which can be shorter than HIPAA's 30 days or cap fees) were not verified; the letter relies on HIPAA alone.
Response Deadlines, as Each Statute Words Them
Read from the statute and regulation text on 2026-10-27. The deadline runs from the agency's receipt of your request, so keep proof of when it arrived.
| Law | Deadline | How days count |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of Information Act5 U.S.C. § 552 | "determine within 20 days (excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the receipt of any such request whether to comply with such request" 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i) | Working days: Saturdays, Sundays and the legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. § 6103 are not counted. |
| HIPAA Privacy Rule right of access45 C.F.R. § 164.524 | "act on a request for access no later than 30 days after receipt of the request" 45 C.F.R. § 164.524(b)(2)(i) | Calendar days: the rule says 30 days, not business days. |
| Texas Public Information ActChapter 552, Texas Government Code | "If an officer for public information cannot produce public information for inspection or duplication within 10 business days after the date the information is requested ..., the officer shall certify that fact in writing to the requestor and set a date and hour within a reasonable time when the information will be available" Tex. Gov't Code § 552.221(d) | Business days under Tex. Gov't Code § 552.0031: Saturdays, Sundays and the national and state holidays in § 662.003(a) and (b) are not counted. |
| California Public Records ActGovernment Code section 7920.000 et seq. | "within 10 days from receipt of the request, determine whether the request, in whole or in part, seeks copies of disclosable public records in the possession of the agency and shall promptly notify the person making the request of the determination and the reasons therefor" Gov. Code § 7922.535(a) | Calendar days counted under Code Civ. Proc. §§ 12 and 12a: the day of receipt is excluded, and a last day that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or judicial holiday moves to the next day that is not one. |
| Florida Public Records LawChapter 119, Florida Statutes | "must acknowledge requests to inspect or copy records promptly and respond to such requests in good faith" Fla. Stat. § 119.07(1)(c) | Chapter 119 sets no number of days. It requires a prompt acknowledgment and a good faith response. |
| New York Freedom of Information LawArticle 6 of the Public Officers Law | "within five business days of the receipt of a written request for a record reasonably described, shall make such record available to the person requesting it, deny such request in writing or furnish a written acknowledgement of the receipt of such request and a statement of the approximate date ... when such request will be granted or denied" Public Officers Law § 89(3)(a) | Business days: Saturdays, Sundays and the public holidays in General Construction Law § 24 are not counted. |
FOIA Request Template or State Public Records Request: Which Law Applies
The law follows the government that holds the record. FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552, reaches federal agencies only. A city police department, a county jail, a state licensing board or a school district answers under its state's public records act: the Texas Public Information Act (Gov't Code ch. 552), the California Public Records Act (Gov. Code § 7920.000 and following), Florida's Chapter 119, or New York's Freedom of Information Law (Public Officers Law art. 6). Your own medical records from a doctor, hospital or health plan come under HIPAA's right of access, 45 C.F.R. § 164.524, not a public records law.
A records request is often the first step in a court case: the police report and bodycam for a criminal defense or civil rights claim, the medical chart for an injury claim, the agency file for an appeal. If you are building a case around the records, our litigation support services and the medical chronology builder pick up where the request leaves off. When the other side holds the records rather than an agency, the tool is a subpoena duces tecum instead.
HIPAA Medical Records Request Letter: What the Rule Gives You
You have a right to inspect and get a copy of the health information about you in a provider's or plan's designated record set. If you ask for an electronic copy of records kept electronically, 45 C.F.R. § 164.524(c)(2)(ii) requires it in the electronic form and format you ask for if readily producible. You can have the copy sent straight to someone else, such as your attorney, if your request is in writing, signed, and clearly identifies that person and where to send it (§ 164.524(c)(3)(ii)).
Fees are limited to a reasonable, cost-based fee covering only labor for copying, supplies, postage, and a summary if you agreed to one (§ 164.524(c)(4)). Two things fall outside the right of access: psychotherapy notes, and information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or for use in, a civil, criminal or administrative proceeding (§ 164.524(a)(1)).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I write a public records request letter?
Address it to the agency's records officer, name the law you are using, and describe the records specifically enough that staff can find them: the type of record, the subject, the people or places involved, and a date range. Ask for the format you want, say how much you will pay before being contacted about fees, and ask for the legal reason in writing for anything withheld. Keep a copy and proof of the date you sent it, because the response deadline runs from receipt.
How long does an agency have to respond to a FOIA request?
Under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i), a federal agency must determine within 20 days, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays, after receipt of the request whether to comply. In unusual circumstances it may extend that by written notice, but under § 552(a)(6)(B)(i) not by more than ten working days.
How long does a doctor or hospital have to give me my medical records?
Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, 45 C.F.R. § 164.524(b)(2), a covered entity must act on your request no later than 30 days after receiving it. It may take one extension of no more than 30 days, and only if, within the first 30 days, it gives you a written statement of the reasons for the delay and the date it will act. Your state may have its own rules too, which this tool does not cover.
How do I request a police report or body camera video?
Police reports and recordings held by a state or local police department are requested under that state's public records law, not FOIA. Give the date, approximate time and specific location of the incident, any report number, and the names of the people involved. In Texas, Gov't Code § 552.108(c) keeps basic information about an arrested person, an arrest, or a crime public even when the rest of a file is withheld. In California, Gov. Code § 7923.625 limits how long an agency may delay releasing a recording of a critical incident (an officer shooting at a person, or force causing death or great bodily injury).
How long does a Texas agency have to answer a public information request?
Texas requires the officer for public information to produce information promptly. If it cannot be produced within 10 business days, Gov't Code § 552.221(d) requires the officer to certify that in writing and set a date and hour when it will be available. To withhold information, the governmental body must ask the attorney general for a decision not later than the 10th business day after receiving the request (§ 552.301(b)).
How long does a California agency have to respond to a Public Records Act request?
Gov. Code § 7922.535(a) gives the agency 10 days from receipt to decide whether the request seeks disclosable records and to notify you, including the estimated date and time the records will be available. In unusual circumstances it may extend that by written notice, but not by more than 14 days.
Does Florida have a deadline to respond to public records requests?
Chapter 119 does not set a number of days. Section 119.07(1)(c) requires the custodian to acknowledge requests promptly and respond in good faith, and § 119.07(1)(e) requires a custodian who claims an exemption to state its basis, including the statutory citation.
How long does a New York agency have to answer a FOIL request?
Within five business days of receiving a written request for a record reasonably described, Public Officers Law § 89(3)(a) requires the agency to make the record available, deny the request in writing, or acknowledge it with an approximate date for a decision. If you are denied, § 89(4)(a) lets you appeal in writing within thirty days.
Do I have to say why I want the records?
In Texas, Gov't Code § 552.222(b) bars the governmental body from inquiring into the purpose for which the information will be used. In California, Gov. Code § 7921.300 says access may not be limited based on the purpose of the request. For federal FOIA, a purpose statement matters only if you ask for a fee waiver or expedited processing.
Can I get the fees waived?
Only where the law provides for it. FOIA waives or reduces fees when disclosure is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the requester's commercial interest (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(iii)). Texas Gov't Code § 552.267(a) provides a waiver or reduction when providing the copy primarily benefits the general public. The California, Florida and New York provisions we verified set fee limits rather than a general waiver, so the letter asks for a cost estimate instead.
Related Legal Tools
This page and the letter it generates are general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using them. Legal Tank is not a law firm. Statutes change, agencies publish their own request procedures, and other laws (including state medical records laws and exemptions) can change the result. The California text was read from a labeled reproduction because the official site refused automated access. Check the statute and the agency's rules before relying on a deadline.
Have Our Team Draft and Track It
When the records feed a live case, the request is only the start: follow-ups when the deadline passes, the administrative appeal, or a motion to compel. We draft each one to the statute and your court's deadlines, and you review, sign and send.
By the Legal Tank editorial team