Illinois FOIA Copy Fees: Electronic Records, Paper Copies, and Redaction Charges
Sources checked October 17, 2026.
A public body may charge some copying costs under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), but the amount and type of charge depend on how the record is maintained, how you ask to receive it, and whether the request is commercial or has been classified as voluminous. An electronic copy is not automatically free in every circumstance, and a public body cannot automatically transfer paper-copy or staff costs to every electronic request. Ask for the record in the format it is maintained in, request an itemized explanation of any proposed fee, and check the statute before paying.
This guide covers ordinary copy-fee questions. A separate fee schedule applies to a request classified as voluminous, and commercial-purpose requests have distinct rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
Start with the format the body maintains
If a record is maintained electronically, section 6(a) generally requires the body to provide it in the electronic format you specify if that is feasible. If it is not feasible, the body must provide it in the format in which it is maintained or, at your option, on paper. The body may charge the actual cost of purchasing a recording medium, such as a disc, tape, or other medium. For an ordinary noncommercial, non-voluminous request, section 6(a) bars charges for searching, reviewing, and other personnel costs associated with reproducing electronic records. It also says paper-copy statutory fees do not apply to electronic copies unless the General Assembly expressly provides otherwise. 5 ILCS 140/6(a).
That distinction matters when the body already holds a digital file and can send it electronically. In Binding Opinion 25-013 (City of Markham), a requester asked by email for an incident report and specified email delivery. The City later attached the PDF, but had demanded a $5 resident or $10 nonresident report fee. The PAC found that an electronic copy sent by email did not justify that charge: the City identified no statute authorizing the fee, and an ordinance would not be a statute for this purpose. The opinion was about that record and those facts; it does not establish that every record-related fee is invalid.
Paper copies have a different statutory schedule
For paper copies, section 6(b) permits fees reasonably calculated to reimburse actual reproduction costs, subject to statutory caps. The first 50 pages of black-and-white, letter- or legal-size copies are free; after that, the charge cannot exceed 15 cents per page. For color copies or other sizes, the charge cannot exceed the actual reproduction cost. A body may not include search, review, or other personnel expenses in an ordinary request’s paper-copy charge. Fees must follow a standard scale made public by the body. The statute allows personnel search, retrieval, and necessary-redaction charges only for commercial requests under subsection (f). 5 ILCS 140/6(b), (f).
A request may involve both an electronically maintained record and a paper copy. Be specific: ask the body to identify the format it maintains, the format it will provide, and the statutory basis and calculation for each proposed charge. The format you request can affect the applicable rule, but the statute’s electronic-format provision turns on how the record is maintained, not just the label placed on the response.
Redaction work does not automatically become a fee
A body may redact exempt material and release reasonably separable nonexempt material. That authority does not itself authorize a labor charge. In Binding Opinion 25-014 (Mattoon Police Department), the Department sought $696.60 based on a per-minute charge for redacting four-and-a-half hours of electronically maintained body-camera and dashboard-camera footage. The Department described the charge as reimbursement for its redaction software, rather than staff time. The PAC concluded that sections 6(a) and 6(b) did not authorize that software-use fee for the electronic records at issue. It explained that section 7(1) authorizes redaction but does not create a fee for doing it.
This opinion does not eliminate every potential charge for video. Section 6(a) still allows the actual cost of a recording medium when one is needed, and other statutory provisions may apply to a request that is properly commercial or voluminous. If a body quotes a per-minute redaction amount, ask it to separate staff time, equipment or medium costs, and any other claimed cost, and to identify the statute authorizing each item.
Commercial purpose and voluminous requests are separate classifications
A commercial-purpose request is governed by section 3.1 and the fee rules in section 6(f). A body may charge up to $10 per hour for search, retrieval, or examining records for necessary redactions, but not for the first eight hours. It must provide an accounting of fees, costs, and personnel hours. The Act defines commercial purpose by reference to using, selling, reselling, or licensing the public records or information for sale, resale, or solicitation or advertisement for sales or services; it excludes dissemination of news and certain public-interest nonprofit uses. The body may ask for your purpose to decide this classification, but ordinarily may not require you to state a purpose just to submit a request. 5 ILCS 140/2(c-10); section 3(c); section 3.1; section 6(f).
Do not assume that an organization’s business activity alone proves a particular request is commercial. In Binding Opinion 23-008 (St. Clair County), the PAC rejected the County’s commercial classification and related personnel fee for a nonprofit environmental group’s request. The opinion considered the stated use and record; classification depends on the request’s purpose under the statute.
A voluminous request is a different statutory category with its own notice, response, and fee provisions. For electronic records, section 6(a-5) establishes maximum fees based on file size and whether records are PDF; it also requires an accounting if a fee is imposed. Those limits do not apply just because a request is large in everyday terms: the statutory classification and process matter. See 5 ILCS 140/3.6 and 6(a-5).
If a fee seems wrong, ask for the basis in writing
Before paying, write back with a short, focused request for information. For example:
I requested these records in [format] on [date]. Please identify whether the responsive records are maintained electronically or on paper, explain why the requested format is not feasible if that is your position, and provide an itemized calculation of each fee. Please identify the statutory provision authorizing each charge and state whether you have classified this request as commercial or voluminous, with the factual basis for that classification. I remain willing to receive the records electronically by email or download link if feasible.
Keep the original request, delivery proof, estimate, invoice, and all responses. Section 6(d) says an inconsistent fee constitutes a denial of access for judicial review. The PAC can review a fee dispute through its FOIA process; its jurisdiction and the deadlines depend on the kind of request and public body. If the body refuses access because you challenged a fee, see What to Do When an Illinois FOIA Request Is Denied. For help framing the initial request and specifying a usable format, use the FOIA request builder to specify a usable format in a new request.
What the PAC examples do and do not show
The PAC opinions illustrate how the statute applies to specific fee disputes. Binding opinions are fact-specific agency decisions; a nonbinding determination letter is not the same as a binding opinion. In PAC Request for Review 2014 PAC 31244, the PAC found an Illinois State Police $20 DVD charge improper on two grounds: the response was late, and the cited fee came from an administrative rule rather than a statute. Because it was a 2018 nonbinding determination under an earlier version of the Act, use it as a limited example, not a complete statement of today’s electronic-copy rules.
The PAC opinions discussed above include 25-013, 25-014, 23-008, and 25-001. Opinion 25-001 addresses electronic format, not fees: the PAC required unlocked Excel workbooks where feasible. It is a useful reminder to describe the actual usable format you seek, but it does not independently establish a fee rule.
This guide summarizes the law checked on October 17, 2026. The statute and official PAC opinions control if this guide or a template differs from them.