The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal law that was created in 1966 to provide the public a right of access to government documents and records, the premise being that the public has a right to know what the government is doing. The Act applies to federal agencies within the executive branch of the government, which includes the Postal Service. It says that any person may ask an agency for a copy of its records, and that the agency must provide such records, unless an exemption exists that protects the records from disclosure.

A request for agency documents and records pursuant to the FOIA must be in writing and identified as a "Freedom of Information Act" request. The Act requires a requester to provide a reasonable description of the documents or records sought. A reasonable description is one that allows agency employees familiar with the subject matter to locate responsive records with a reasonable amount of effort. Be aware that the Postal Service has about 40,000 facilities at which records are maintained and a centralized index of every record does not exist. Requests that do not meet the reasonable description standard include requests for all records within a broad category, such as requests for "all records the Postal Service has about me," "all records concerning my mail," and "all records relating to the delivery of mail to prisoners." If your request does not contain a reasonable description, we will write back to you requesting clarification. A precise description of the records you want will ensure responsible use of postal resources to satisfy your right of access while minimizing any processing costs to you.

The FOIA does not require a requester to give a reason for requesting agency records.

A requester may be charged a fee for some or all of the Postal Service's direct costs. Fees are based on the amount of time it takes to process a request, the number of pages provided, and a requester's fee category (educational and news media, commercial, or other).

- Educational and news media requesters are charged for duplication costs in excess of 100 pages.
- Commercial requesters are charged fees for search time, review time, and duplication costs.
- Other requesters are charged fees for search time in excess of two hours and duplication costs in excess of 100 pages.
Duplication costs are 15 cents per page. Search and review time is $5.35 per quarter hour when provided by a professional employee and $4.40 per quarter hour when provided by a clerical employee. Direct costs are assessed for information that must be retrieved by computer. If the assessable cost is $10.00 or less, we do not charge a fee. If the fee exceeds $25 and you did not indicate willingness to accept all costs, the Postal Service will notify you of the estimated fee and ask for your written agreement to accept liability. If the estimated fee is over $250, our regulations allow us to collect an amount up to the full estimated cost before processing the request.

Any requester may ask for a fee waiver. The eligibility of a requester for a fee waiver will vary, depending on the ability to show how the requested information relates to the operations or activities of the government and the means to convey the information to the public. For example, a news media requester may qualify for a fee waiver. In that case, the Postal Service may waive in full or in part the chargeable duplication fee. Indigence is not sufficient to qualify for a fee waiver.

Send your request to the custodian of the records. The custodian is the head of the postal facility where the record is maintained. In most instances, it will be a postmaster. At Headquarters, it is the vice president of the functional area relating to the subject of the request. For example, a request for investigative records maintained by the Postal Inspection Service would be directed to:

Chief Postal Inspector
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3100
Washington DC 20260-2100

If you do not know who the custodian is, submit your request to Headquarters as follows and your request will be directed to the appropriate custodian:

Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 8141
Washington DC 20260-5202

Alternatively, requests may be faxed to the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer at (202) 268-5353.

The FOIA provides that an agency will respond in writing within 20 working days of receipt of a request. If a request is sent to the wrong facility, the time for response does not begin until the request is received by the custodian of the records. There are unusual circumstances in which the agency may extend the response period for another ten working days. These include requests that require a search for records from a facility other than the one processing the request, requests that require the search for and review of a large volume of records, and requests that require consultation with another agency or with other agency components having an interest in disclosure.

A FOIA request will receive expedited processing under two conditions only. In one instance, the requester must demonstrate that the failure to expeditiously obtain the records could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual. In the other instance, the requester must demonstrate that he or she is primarily engaged in disseminating information to the public and that the requested information is urgently needed to inform the public about actual or alleged government activity.

The FOIA requires the release of any requested agency record unless it is protected from disclosure by an exemption in the Act. It is the policy of the Postal Service to make its official records available to the public to the maximum extent consistent with the public interest. If records or parts of records are withheld, you have a right to appeal the denial of your request by writing to the Postal Service's General Counsel within 30 days of the date of the denial letter. The letter of appeal should include statements concerning the denial, the reasons why it is believed to be erroneous, and the relief sought, along with copies of the original request, the denial letter, and any other related correspondence. Submit the appeal letter to:

General Counsel
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 6004
Washington DC 20260-1100