In the United States, freedom of information legislation exists at all levels of government: federal level, state level, and local level.

Federal level Since the founding of the United States, the public's right to know the affairs of their government has been foundational to democracy. James Madison wrote during the United States Constitutional Convention, "The right of freely examining public characters and measures and free communication, is the only effective guardian of every other right."

Several federal laws have strengthened the public's ability to access public records. The most important was the Freedom of Information Act, signed into law on July 4, 1966, by President Lyndon Johnson. Other federal laws dealing with freedom of information include:

Administrative Procedure Act PL 79-404; 1946 Freedom of Information Act PL 85-619; 1966 Federal Advisory Committee Act PL 92-463; 1972 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act PL 93-344; 1974 Government in the Sunshine Act PL 94-409; 1976 Inspector General Act PL 95-452; 1978 Ethics in Government Act PL 95-521; 1978 Presidential Records Act PL 95-591; 1978 Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments PL 104-231; 1996

State legislation

All fifty U.S. states and the District of Columbia also have freedom of information laws that govern the public's access to government records at state and local levels. These laws go by many different names including Sunshine Laws, Public Records Laws, Open Records Laws, etc. Additionally, Open Meeting Laws govern the public's access to meetings of public officials or appointed boards.

All Freedom of Information style laws supports the ideal that in a democracy, people have the right to know the business of their government. However, the laws vary in scope and strength among jurisdictions. For example, Florida's Sunshine Law creates both a statutory and constitutional right to access whereas many states only provide the statutory right. Additionally, while a state may have strong legislation the state's compliance with its own laws may negatively impact the public's ability to access records.

Freedom of Information laws by state and territory

StateFreedom of Information LawCode SectionFirst EnactedWho May Request RecordsAlabamaAlabama Public Records LawAl. Code §§ 36-12-40; 36-12-411923Any citizenAlaskaAlaska Public Records Act A.S. §§ 40.25.110 to 40.25.125; 40.25.1511900Any personAmerican SamoaAmerican Samoa Public Records ActA.S.C.A. §§ 2.0101 et seq.1984Any personArizonaArizona Public Records LawA.R.S. §§ 39–121.01 to 39–121.031901Any personArkansasArkansas Freedom of Information Act Ark. Code Ann. §§ 25-19-101 to 25-19-1111967Citizens of the state/commonwealthCaliforniaCalifornia Public Records ActGov't Code §§ 7920.000 to 7931.0001968Any personColoradoColorado Open Records ActC.R.S. §§ 24-72-200.1 to 24-72-205.51969Any personConnecticutConnecticut Freedom of Information ActConnecticut General Statutes Chapter 14 §§ 1–200 to 1-2421975Any personDelawareDelaware Freedom of Information ActTit. 29, §§ 10001 to 10007; 101121977Citizens of the state/commonwealthDistrict of ColumbiaFreedom of Information ActDC Official Code §§ 2–531 to 2-5401974Any personFloridaFlorida Sunshine LawFla. Stat. §§ 119.01 to 119.191967Any personGeorgiaGeorgia Open Records ActO.C.G.A. §§ 50-18-70 to 50-18-1031959Citizens of the state/commonwealthGuamGuam Sunshine Reform Act of 19995 GCA §§ 10101 to 101251999Any personHawaiiUniform Information Practices Act (Modified)Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 92F-1 to 92F-431975Any personIdahoIdaho Public Records ActIdaho Code §§ 74–101 to 74-1261990Any personIllinoisIllinois Freedom of Information ActILCS 5 §§ 140/1 to 140/11.61984Any personIndianaAccess to Public Records ActIN Code §§ 5-14-3-1 to 5-14-3-101983Any personIowaIowa Open Records LawIowa Code §§ 22.1 to 22.161967Any personKansasKansas Open Records ActKSA §§ 45–215 to 45-5241984Any personKentuckyKentucky Open Records ActKentucky Revised Statute Chapter §§ 61.870 to 61.8841976From Kentucky: "an individual residing in Kentucky, a domestic business with a location in Kentucky (or an out-of-state business registered with the Secretary of State), a person who works in Kentucky, a person or business that owns real property within Kentucky, a person or business authorized to act on behalf of a Kentucky resident, or a news-gathering organization"; inmates have some restrictions; non-Kentucky people may request records, but their requests can be deniedLouisianaLouisiana Public Records LawLa.R.S. §§ 44:31 to 44:411940Any person 18 or olderMaineMaine Freedom of Access Act Tit. 1, §§ 400 to 4341959Any personMarylandMaryland Public Information ActGen. Provis. §§ 4–101 to 4-6011970Any personMassachusettsMassachusetts Public Records LawMass. Gen. Laws ch. 66, §§ 1 to 211897Any personMichiganMichigan Freedom of Information ActMich. Comp. Laws Ann. §§ 15.231 to 15.2461977Any personMinnesotaMinnesota Data Practices ActMinn. Statutes §§ 13.01 to 13.99 Ch. 13 Appendix1974Any personMississippiMississippi Public Records ActMiss. Code Ann. §§ 25-61-1 to 25-61-191983Any personMissouriMissouri Public Records ActMo. Code §§ 109.180; 610.010 to 610.2251961Citizens of the state/commonwealthMontanaMontana Public Records ActMontana Code §§ 2-6-101 to 2-6-10201895Any personNebraskaNebraska Public Records LawNebraska Statutes §§ 84–712 to 84-712.091866Any personNevadaNevada Open Records Act N.R.S. §§ 239.010-239.3401911Any personNew HampshireRight to Know Law R.S.A. Ch. 91-A:1 to 91-A:101967Any citizenNew JerseyNew Jersey Open Public Records ActN.J.S.A. §§ 47:1A-1 to 47:1A-132002Citizens of the state/commonwealthNew MexicoInspection of Public Records ActNMSA §§ 14-2-1 to 14-2-121993Any personNew YorkNew York Freedom of Information LawPub. Off. §§ 84 to 901974Any personNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina Public Records Law NCGS Chapter 132–1 to 132-111995Any personNorth DakotaOpen Records StatuteNDCC §§ 44-04-18 to 44-04-321957Any personNorthern Mariana IslandsOpen Government Act of 19921 CMC §§ 9901 to 99101992Any personOhioOhio Open Records LawOhio Rev. Code §§ 149.43 to 149.45; 2743.751963Any personOklahomaOklahoma Open Records ActTitle 51 Oklahoma Statutes §§ 24A.1 to 24A.321999Any personOregonOregon Public Records LawO.R.S. §§ 192.311 to 192.5131973Any personPennsylvaniaRight-to-Know Law65 Pennsylvania Statute §§ 67.101 to 67.13101957Any legal resident of the United StatesPuerto RicoPuerto Rico Transparency and Access to Public Information ActLaw No. 141-20192019Any personRhode IslandRhode Island Access to Public Records Act P.L. §§ 38-2-1 to 38-2-161979Any personSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina Freedom of Information ActS.C. Code Ann. §§ 30-4-10 to 30-4-1651974Any personSouth DakotaSouth Dakota Sunshine LawSDCL Chapter 1-27-1 to 1-27-482009Any personTennesseeTennessee Open Records ActTenn. Code Ann. §§ 10-7-503 to 10-7-5081957Citizens of the state/commonwealthTexasTexas Public Information ActGov't §§ 552.001 to 552.3761973Any personUtahGovernment Records Access and Management ActUtah Code Title 63G-2-101 to 63G-2-8041991Any personVermontVermont Open Records LawVermont Statute Tit. 1, §§ 315 to 3201976Any personVirginiaVirginia Freedom of Information ActCode of Virginia §§ 2.2-3700 to 2.2-37151968Citizens of the state/commonwealthVirgin IslandsVirgin Islands Sunshine ActV.I. Code tit. 3, §§ 881–8841976Any personWashingtonWashington Public Records ActRCW §§ 42.56.001 to 42.56.9041972Any personWest VirginiaWest Virginia Freedom of Information ActW.Va. Code §§ 29B-1-1 to 29B-1-71977Any personWisconsinWisconsin Open Records LawWisconsin Statute §§ 19.21 to 19.391981Any personWyomingWyoming Sunshine LawWyo. Stat. §§ 16-4-201 to 16-4-2051983Any person

High-volume requests Since 2020, election officials across the U.S. have reported an overwhelming increase in records requests from apparent election deniers attempting to disrupt the functioning of local and county election offices. Often unreasonably broad, repetitive, or based on misinformation, the high volume of requests has led to what a Colorado official said amounts to "a denial-of-service attack on local government." Local election officials in Florida and Michigan have reported spending 25–70% of staff time in recent years on processing public records requests. In 2022, officials in Maricopa County, Arizona reported one request that required nearly half the election office's staff to spend four days sorting and scanning 20,000 documents.

A review of recent state laws by the Center for Election Innovation & Research found at least 13 states that have sought to protect election staff from the abuse of FOIA requests in several ways, such as creating publicly accessible databases that do not require staff assistance and giving election staff the authority to deny unreasonable or clearly frivolous requests.

On May 12, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice demanded "all records" related to the 2024 federal elections in Colorado, a request that National Public Radio called "unprecedented" in its scope. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, said fulfilling such a request "would fill Mile High Stadium," adding that "it's very unlikely the DOJ would even know what to do with all of that," characterizing the request as "more like a fishing expedition than...some kind of targeted investigation."

See also Freedom of information laws by country Sunshine Week Open government Declassification

Individuals Jason Leopold Ryan Shapiro

U.S. Moynihan Commission on Government Secrecy McBurney v. Young MuckRock National Archives and Records Administration NSA warrantless surveillance controversy Patriot Act The Black Vault U.S. reclassification program United States v. Reynolds State ex. rel. Quolke v. Strongsville City School District

References

External links Sunshine Week The Open Government Guide of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press. The National Freedom of Information Coalition The Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications