7(1)(b)

FOIA

Private information

Private information (defined in Sec. 2(c-5) -- e.g. SSNs, driver's license numbers, home addresses in some contexts)

Read the full statute text on /statutes →

14 upheld (no violation found) · 57 rejected (violation found) · 12 partial violation · 8 closed / insufficient info / other, out of 91 documents.

Not legal advice, and not a per-exemption ruling — this reflects each document's overall disposition. See the FAQ disclaimer.

How the Public Access Counselor has treated 7(1)(b)

Section 7(1)(b) covers 'private information' as defined in Section 2(c-5), such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, personal or home telephone numbers, home addresses and account numbers. The PAC treats FOIA exemptions as narrow and requires a public body to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the exemption applies. Private information may be redacted, but it does not by itself justify withholding an entire record.

Across these decisions, the PAC often found violations where public bodies withheld complete termination letters, separation records, arrest and incident reports, license applications or payroll and compensation records based on broad claims of private information or privacy. It distinguished non-exempt details such as employee and contractor names, job titles, wages, bonuses and report narratives from redactable identifiers. In one decision, it found no violation where a dispatch center disclosed caller names but redacted home or personal telephone numbers from 911 recordings.

At a glance: 91 documents from 2012 to 2026(37 binding opinions, 54 determination letters). Most often cited alongside: 7(1)(c) (Personal privacy) (61); 7(1)(a) (Federal/State-law confidentiality — or public defender case files, for documents issued under the other amendment version) (17); 7(1)(f) (Preliminary drafts, notes, and deliberative materials) (15); 7(1)(d)(iv) (Would disclose a confidential source or informant) (10); 7(1)(d) (Law-enforcement/administrative-proceeding records) (8).

Recurring issues

Public bodies withheld entire employment, arrest or incident records rather than redacting only qualifying private identifiers. (A termination letter for a public employee, A police officer's separation records, Incident reports on restraint chair use at a county jail)
Public bodies treated personal names as private information in water bills, payroll records, license applications and compensation records. (A school district's customer account information for water utility, Contractor employee names in certified payroll records, Applications for cannabis cultivation center licenses)
Public bodies redacted nearly all narrative portions of police and arrest reports by citing private information along with other exemptions. (Redacted narrative sections of police arrest reports, Police arrest reports, A police department's case/incident report and related records)
Public bodies sought to withhold employee wages, salaries and bonus amounts as private or personal information. (Employee salary and wage records for 2016-2017, Staff bonus amounts after a fund re-allocation)

Practical points

Release the non-exempt portion of a record and redact only information that meets the definition of private information.
Do not redact employee or contractor names, job titles, or wage and bonus amounts as private information.
Disclosing caller names while redacting home or personal telephone numbers from 911 recordings was found not to violate FOIA.

Summary drafted from the linked decisions and checked against them; read the decisions themselves before relying on it. Not legal advice.

7(1)(b)

How the Public Access Counselor has treated 7(1)(b)

Recurring issues

Practical points

All 91 documents citing 7(1)(b)