Are governments and government agencies required to maintain a log of all FOIL requests they receive and process? Is this mandated by any state law?
I’m asking because a municipality has informed me that it neither keeps a log of FOIL requests nor is required to do so. Is this accurate?
There is no law or regulation from the Committee on Open Government that requires local governments to maintain a log of FOIL requests.
While keeping a log is a best practice and many municipalities do so, it is not legally mandated.
Our organization is advocating for legislation that would require state agencies, as a starting point, to track and report annually on the number of FOIL requests received, denials, and other key data.
You can find more details on the proposed legislation here:
NY Assembly Bill A02321
