How do I request public records in City of Charlottesville?
Discussion

How do I request public records in City of Charlottesville?

Generated by lexflow from the state statutes (open-us-law, government publisher text) and checked by Claude: every quoted phrase was matched word for word against the statute text, and the process passed the BPMN/DMN schemas, bpmnlint and a Petri-net soundness check. Information, not legal advice.

Charlottesville handles public records requests under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.). The easiest way to submit is the city's online Records Request portal (GovQA). You can also mail a request to the City Attorney's Office at P.O. Box 911, Charlottesville, VA 22902, fax it to 434-970-3890, or deliver it in person at the City Attorney's Office. The city's Requesting Records page says email and phone requests are also accepted. The city must respond within five working days, or within seven more working days if it explains in writing why the deadline is practically impossible. You can ask for a cost estimate in advance, and requests that take 15 minutes or less to fulfil are free. The city's pages describe no internal appeal. If you are denied, you can petition the general district or circuit court to compel compliance, or ask the Virginia FOIA Council for a nonbinding advisory opinion.

Confidence 1.00: state law 1.00, local 1.00, contact 1.00. Full state model: records

What state law requires

Request records with reasonable specificity — Requester (citizen of the Commonwealth, or media circulating or broadcasting in Virginia) (§ 2.2-3704(B))
Notify of charges; offer cost estimate — Public body (records custodian) (§ 2.2-3704(F))
Try to agree on production with requester — Public body (records custodian) (§ 2.2-3704(C))
Petition court for more time — Public body (records custodian) (§ 2.2-3704(C))
Provide records or answer in writing — Public body (records custodian) · within 5 business days (§ 2.2-3704(B))
Supply inspection or copies at lowest cost — Public body (records custodian) (§ 2.2-3704(F))
Provide records or answer within extension — Public body (records custodian) · within 7 business days (§ 2.2-3704(B)(4))

What City of Charlottesville adds

Identify the records you want and describe them specifically — Requester. Describe existing records clearly enough that staff can find and locate them. A written request is not required, but the city recommends one because it creates a record of what you asked for. (source)
Submit the request online, by mail, by fax, or in person — Requester to the City Attorney's Office / FOIA & Records Officer. Use the online Records Request portal (https://charlottesvilleva.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/). You can also mail the request to the City Attorney's Office, P.O. Box 911, Charlottesville, VA 22902, fax it to 434-970-3890, or deliver it in person at the City Attorney's Office (main line 434-970-3131). (source)
Ask for a cost estimate in advance if you are worried about fees — Requester. Ask in your request for the charges to be estimated in advance. The FOIA Costs page says the city may charge only its actual costs, such as staff search time and copying, and may not charge general overhead. (source)
Wait for the city's response (5 working days, extendable by 7 more) — City of Charlottesville. Within five working days the city must do one of four things: provide the records, withhold them in writing citing the Code of Virginia section, release them with the exempt parts redacted, or tell you in writing that the records cannot be found or do not exist. If it explains in writing why a response is practically impossible in time, it gets seven more working days. (source)
Pay any deposit if the estimate is over $200 — Requester. If the city estimates costs over $200, it may require a deposit of up to the estimated amount before it proceeds. The five-day clock does not run while the deposit request is pending. If you owe money from an earlier FOIA request that has been unpaid for more than 30 days, the city may require payment before it handles a new request. Requests that take 15 minutes or less are free. (source)
If you are denied or think your rights were violated, go to court or ask the FOIA Council — Requester; General District or Circuit Court; Virginia FOIA Council. File a petition in general district or circuit court to compel compliance. You can also contact the Virginia FOIA Council (foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov, 804-225-3056, or toll-free 866-448-4100) for a nonbinding advisory opinion. The city's pages describe no separate internal appeal. (source)

Who to contact

City of Charlottesville online Records Request (GovQA) portal
City FOIA email (the 'Email Us' link on the FOIA Officers staff directory): FOIA@charlottesville.gov
FOIA & Records Officer (FOIA Officers directory main number): 434-970-3827
Mail, fax, or in-person FOIA requests: City Attorney's Office, P.O. Box 911, Charlottesville, VA 22902; fax 434-970-3890; phone 434-970-3131
City FOIA hub page (rights, costs, responsibilities, exemptions)
Virginia FOIA Council (nonbinding advisory opinions); 804-225-3056 or toll-free 866-448-4100: foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov

Local law

Va. Code § 2.2-3704 (Virginia Freedom of Information Act: right to inspect/copy; 5-working-day response; charges): This is the state law that governs city records. Records are open to citizens of the Commonwealth, to representatives of newspapers and magazines that circulate in Virginia, and to radio and television stations that broadcast into Virginia. The public body must respond promptly, and in all cases within five working days. It may make reasonable charges that do not exceed its actual cost.
Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. (Virginia FOIA): The city's FOIA page names this as the governing law. All public records are presumed open and may be withheld only when a specific statutory exemption applies. No city-specific FOIA ordinance was found.

Fees. Reasonable charges, capped at actual cost: staff search time, copying, and similar direct costs, with no general overhead. Requests that take 15 minutes or less to research and supply are free. You can ask for an estimate in advance. If the estimate is over $200, the city may require a deposit up to that amount before it proceeds. If an earlier FOIA bill has been unpaid for more than 30 days, the city may require payment before it handles a new request.

Caveats

Under Va. Code § 2.2-3704(A), the right of access belongs to citizens of the Commonwealth and to qualifying Virginia media. Out-of-state requesters may be refused. The earlier claim about the city's past MuckRock responses was not re-verified.
The FOIA Officers directory lists several officers: the FOIA & Records Officer (434-970-3827) and the FOIA and Public Records Officer, plus separate officers for the Sheriff, Treasurer, Commissioner of the Revenue, and Airport Authority. Confirm the current contact on the directory before you write.
The Requesting Records page says requests may be made by email or by phone. The Submit a FOIA Request page lists no email address. FOIA@charlottesville.gov comes only from the 'Email Us' link on the staff directory.
Not re-verified: Police Department records are said to be handled under Police General Order 523.20 through the department's Public Information Officer. Ask the department directly.
University of Virginia records are not city records. UVA runs its own FOIA process (not verified here).
Pages retrieved 2026-10-09. Check them for updates.

Sources

← City of Charlottesville · Virginia

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