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VIRGINIA
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
ADVISORY COUNCIL
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
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ADVISORY
OPINIONS ISSUED
2022
| Opinion
No. |
Issue(s)
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October |
|
AO-01-22 |
Public
bodies are required to provide cost estimates for the
production of public records upon request, but FOIA does
not specify the level of detail to be included with a
cost
estimate. Because an estimate is inexact by definition
and
sometimes the total costs that may be incurred cannot
be
predicted with accuracy, FOIA does not require a public
body to declare a maximum amount. In such situations,
public bodies are encouraged to communicate the factual
basis for the estimate and seek to reach an agreement
with
the requester on the production of records, which may
include agreed limits on the amount of time and money
to
be expended. |
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