Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA)

Requests for the City of Charleston

Submit a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA)

Please click this link to submit a FOIA request.
 

Requests for the Charleston Police Department

Submit a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) for the Charleston Police Department

Please click this link to submit a FOIA request.


Fee Schedule and Terms for FOIA requests

The City of Charleston's schedule of fees is as follows:

- Search, retrieval, and redaction of records - Actual hourly salary of lowest paid employee who has the training and skill to respond to the request. Current estimates are as follows:
Admin Time: $19.24
Manager Time: $33.88
Director Time: $66.07
Redaction Time: $23.86
IT Time: $32.00
PD Staff Time: $20.73


- Black-and-white photocopies - $0.10 per page
- Color photocopies - $0.20 per page
- CD or DVD - $5.00 each
- Flash Drive - $12.00 each
- Flash Drive Mailed - $15.00 each
- Large quantities of documents or oversized documents will be sent to an outside business for copying which charges requestor the actual dollar amount for work.

FOIA POLICY

South Carolina Law provides that knowingly obtaining or using personal information from a public body for commercial solicitation is a crime pursuant to S.C. Code §30-2-50. 

Pursuant to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), the City of Charleston (“City”) will provide copies of public records in its custody unless the records are exempt from disclosure under S.C. Code §30-4-40 or other state and federal laws.

Upon receipt of a request for records under FOIA, the City will review the request to determine whether the records are available and send formal acknowledgement to the Requestor within ten (10) business days for records less than two (2) years old, or within twenty (20) days for records more than two (2) years old. Business days do not include Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays. 

If the request is granted, the records will be furnished or made available for inspection or copying no later than thirty (30) calendar days from the date on which the formal acknowledgement was provided, unless the records are more than two (2) years old, in which case they will be made available no later than thirty-five (35) calendar days from the date on which the formal acknowledgement was provided. If a deposit is required, the records will be furnished or made available for inspection or copying no later than thirty (30) calendar days from the date on which the deposit is received, unless the records are more than two (2) years old, in which case they will be made available no later than thirty-five (35) calendar days from the date on which the deposit was received to fulfill the request. The City may impose reasonable rules concerning time and place of access to records. 

State of South Carolina Freedom of Information Act Code of Laws

Download Fee Schedule and Terms for FOIA requests