FOIA section 3(i)

FOIA

5 ILCS 140/3(i). Section 3 overview: The Act's workhorse section: public bodies must make records available on request; requests can be submitted in writing by mail, personal delivery, fax, or other means the body accepts; and -- critically -- a body generally has 5 business days to comply or deny (extendable by 5 more business days in specific circumstances). This is the section most PAC disputes about late or incomplete responses turn on.

2 issues across 2 determination letters:1 violation found · 1 no determination / resolved.

Counts are per issue, not per letter, and come from automated extraction checked against sampled letters. Determination letters are not binding precedent.

Authorities the Bureau cites most on this issue

Board of Education of Springfield School District No. 186 v. Attorney General of Illinois, 2015 IL App (4th) 140941, 44 N.E.3d 1245 (2015), aff'd, 2017 IL 120343, 77 N.E.3d 625 (2017) cited 1 times

Drafting brief for an AI assistant

Copy this into your assistant to help draft a request, appeal, or challenge to a denial that turns on this issue. It carries the rules and decisions, not your facts: add those yourself. Machine-readable version: foia-3-i.json.

TOPIC: 5 ILCS 140/3(i)
SOURCE: Illinois Attorney General Public Access Bureau decisions compiled at https://illinoisfoia.org/issues/foia-3-i/
NOTE: Determination letters are not binding precedent; they show how the Bureau applies the law. Verify every decision against the source PDF before citing it.

VIOLATION FOUND (1):
- Oral versus written verification under section 3(i)
  Rule: Section 3(i) gives the requester discretion to verify orally or in writing, and a public body may not insist on oral verification.
  Decision: Whether a requester may verify personhood in writing or orally (non-binding determination letter, June 30, 2026) https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-94590/

NO DETERMINATION / RESOLVED (1):
- Applicability of section 3(g) waiver to recurrent requesters
  Rule: The response timeframe for recurrent requesters is governed solely by section 3.2; section 3(g) waiver provisions do not apply to recurrent requesters.
  Decision: Police department video and audio recordings (non-binding determination letter, December 18, 2023) https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-79252/

MOST-CITED AUTHORITIES: Board of Education of Springfield School District No. 186 v. Attorney General of Illinois, 2015 IL App (4th) 140941, 44 N.E.3d 1245 (2015), aff'd, 2017 IL 120343, 77 N.E.3d 625 (2017)

TASK FOR THE ASSISTANT: Using only the decisions above, help draft a letter. Argue from the rule and cite the decision by name and date. Do not invent decisions.

Violation found (1)

Oral versus written verification under section 3(i)
Rule: Section 3(i) gives the requester discretion to verify orally or in writing, and a public body may not insist on oral verification.
Violation found Whether a requester may verify personhood in writing or orally · June 30, 2026

No determination / resolved (1)

Applicability of section 3(g) waiver to recurrent requesters
Rule: The response timeframe for recurrent requesters is governed solely by section 3.2; section 3(g) waiver provisions do not apply to recurrent requesters.
No determination / resolved Police department video and audio recordings · December 18, 2023