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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Public Reference Room
1. What are the Public Reference Room's hours, location and contact information?
Our hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. We are located in Room 2A at FERC's Washington DC headquarters.
2. What exactly are public documents?
Public documents include:
- Applications
- Forms
- Publications
- Orders
- Opinions
- Decisions
- Rulemakings
- Financial and statistical reports
- Administrative staff manuals
- Policy statements
- Frequently requested FOIA-processed records.
3. How long will it take to receive the information I requested?
Our Customer Service Levels identify the approximate turn-around times for when you can expect your service requests to be filled.
4. If I need to have some documents certified, how long will it take and what is the cost?
It takes about 15 minutes to an hour, depending upon the quantity of certifications and the number of pages within the document. Each certification costs $5 per document.
5. How long are files maintained on-site before you send them off-site?
We normally only house active records on-site. We try to maintain them for three years before arranging for storage elsewhere.
You can retrieve these records stored off-site by contacting the Public Reference Room.
You can retrieve these records stored off-site by contacting the Public Reference Room.
6. Do I have to file a FOIA request to access documents in the public Reference Room?
No. The majority of the Commission's documents are publicly available in paper form or through electronic means in the Public Reference Room, eLibrary or this web site.
7. How do I order a FERC publication?
The Commission's Public Reference Room discontinued its participation in the Government Printing Office's (GPO) Consigned Agency Sales Program due to low sale volume. As a result you must contact the GPO's Superintendent of Documents directly to purchase publications. Please note that many of our current publications are available for you to view or download, at no cost, from our Web site.
GPO is available at 202-512-1800, or you can order from their Web site
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GPO is available at 202-512-1800, or you can order from their Web site
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8. How do I go about getting a certified copy of a document?
You can request a certified copy of a document from the Public Reference Room. You can reach them by phone at 202-502-8371 or by email public.referenceroom@ferc.gov.
9. If I'm visiting from out of town, is it possible to have records available for review when I arrive?
Yes. Just let us know in advance and we will arrange for them to be here. Sometimes our records are stored off-site, so we need a few days to retrieve them from storage.
10. How do I pay for documents when I visit the Public Reference Room?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Visa Check Cards. You will be required to establish an account.