Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA)

VA FOIA is the primary state law governing citizens access to records of public entities and to their meetings. VA FOIA was enacted by the General Assembly to encourage transparency of government with citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Nonexistent Records

• The Act only requires disclosure of existing records. It does not require any public body to create a new record or report that does not already exist.
• Many requestors make the mistake of asking for "information" about a particular subject or of submitting a list a questions for the public body to answer. The Act does not require the public body to abstract or summarize information out of its records. Only a request for particular documents or other specific existing records triggers the requirement of a response under the act.

Records Exempt from Disclosure

• There are some statues that require confidentiality of certain records such as tax returns and other tax records that reveal information about the income or business of the subject.
• Some of the most common types of local government records that are exempt from mandatory disclosure under the Act include individual tax returns of persons or entities subject to income, estate, personal property, or business license taxes.

Cost

The Commissioner of the Revenue may assess charges in accessing, duplicating, supplying, searching for requested records, or developing a cost estimate.

FOIA requests or an estimate of cost request may be submitted to the Commissioner of the Revenue Office's designated FOIA Officer, Vivian Lake, via email, mail, phone, or fax.

Commissioner of the Revenue
Vivian Lake

vlake@warrencountyva.gov
Phone: 540-635-2651
Fax: 540-636-8280

Additional information and guidance regarding FOIA requests can be found in the Rights and Responsibilities (PDF)