Getting Public Records

Each public body makes all public records available to any person for inspection or copying, except as the Act's exemptions provide. A request is made in writing to the public body, by personal delivery, mail, fax or other means it makes available.

• The public body either complies with or denies the request within 5 business days after receiving it.
• It may extend that by not more than 5 business days for the reasons the Act lists, by telling the requester why and when the answer will come within the first 5 business days.
• No answer within the time is a denial, and a body that answers late may not charge a fee for the copies.

• §5 ILCS 140/3Statute5 ILCS 140/3Opens ilga.gov ↗

A request for a whole category of records is complied with unless it is unduly burdensome, and the body first offers to confer about narrowing it.

• §5 ILCS 140/3Statute5 ILCS 140/3Opens ilga.gov ↗