FOIA section 2(h)
FOIA5 ILCS 140/2(h). Section 2 overview: Defines the Act's key terms: what counts as a “public body” (state agencies, counties, cities, school districts, and their subcommittees), who counts as a “requester,” what a “public record” is, what makes a request a “commercial purpose” or “recurrent” request (which get different response rules), and other terms used throughout the Act.
5 issues across 5 determination letters:5 no violation.
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 Determination letters are not binding precedent.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
- Nelson v. Kendall County, 2014 IL 116303, 10 N.E.3d 893 cited 1 times
How to challenge a denial on this issue
AI-generated summary of the decisions listed on this page, with each point linked to the letters it comes from. Determination letters are not binding precedent and this is not legal advice. Open the letter and check the PDF before relying on any point.
When the public body usually wins
- The public body combined multiple requests by the same requester within 20 business days and determined the total categories exceeded five. The Bureau upheld this practice as proper.Based on: n.d. · Emails between a school board pre… · n.d. · Demolition contract details and a…
- The request, as submitted or amended, sought at least six different categories of records. The request qualifies as voluminous under the five-category threshold.Based on: n.d. · Records of school busing errors a…
- The request would require compiling more than 500 letter or legal-sized pages. That meets the statutory definition of a voluminous request.Based on: n.d. · Office of Professional Review rep…
- The public body's determination that the request met the statutory criteria (categories or pages) was reasonable and specific. The Bureau defers to the body's factual showing when it articulates the criteria.Based on: n.d. · Aggregation of multiple FOIA requ…
Points to put in your letter
- Ask the public body to itemize the categories it counted. State why, in your view, certain items should not be considered separate categories.Based on: n.d. · Records of school busing errors a…
- If the body relies on a page-count over 500, request the estimated number of pages and how that estimate was reached, so you can challenge any miscalculation.Based on: n.d. · Office of Professional Review rep…
Common mistakes
- Assuming that multiple separate requests cannot be combined for the purpose of the five-category threshold.Based on: n.d. · Emails between a school board pre…
- Thinking a request that covers a single broad subject automatically constitutes only one category of records.Based on: n.d. · Records of school busing errors a…
Facts to gather first
- Dates and subject lines of all your requests submitted within the relevant 20-business-day period
- The public body's breakdown of how many categories it says your request(s) contained
- Any written estimate of page counts the body provided, and the method used to derive it
These determination letters are non-binding; facts matter and the Bureau's analysis can depend on the specific details of each request; always verify the full PDF of any decision you intend to rely on.
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-2-h.json.
No violation (5)
Voluminous request determination
Rule: A public body properly determines a request is voluminous when it meets the statutory criteria for number of categories or pages.
No violation Aggregation of multiple FOIA requests as voluminous · March 3, 2025
Designation of amended request as voluminous
Rule: A request qualifies as voluminous if it seeks more than 5 different categories of records; the amended request sought at least six categories.
No violation Records of school busing errors and transportation incidents · October 23, 2024
Voluminous request designation
Rule: Requests by the same person can be combined to determine if they exceed five categories of records within 20 business days.
No violation Emails between a school board president and superintendent · September 19, 2025
Village's designation of FOIA requests as voluminous
Rule: Five requests sought more than five categories of records within 20 business days, so the voluminous designation was proper.
No violation Demolition contract details and account payable transactions from business district tax funds · April 24, 2018
Whether request was properly treated as voluminous
Rule: A request requiring compilation of more than 500 letter or legal-sized pages of public records qualifies as a voluminous request.
No violation Office of Professional Review reports and security camera footage of grievances · July 12, 2016