FOIA costs

  • You may have to pay for the records that you request from DEQ. FOIA allows us to charge for the actual costs of responding to FOIA requests. This would include items like staff time spent searching for the requested records, copying costs, or any other costs directly related to supplying the requested records. It cannot include general overhead costs.
  • If we estimate that it will cost more than $200 to respond to your request, we may require you to pay a deposit, not to exceed the amount of the estimate, before proceeding with your request.
  • You may request that we estimate in advance the charges for supplying the records that you have requested. This will allow you to know about any costs upfront, or give you the opportunity to modify your request in an attempt to lower the estimated costs.
  • If you owe DEQ money from a previous FOIA request that has remained unpaid for more than 30 days, we will require payment of the past-due bill before responding to your new FOIA request.
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Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality
629 East Main Street
P.O. Box 1105
Richmond, VA 23218
(804)698-4000

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