FOIA section 3.6(c)

FOIA

5 ILCS 140/3.6(c). Section 3.6 overview: A public body can slow down and negotiate scope on a genuinely “voluminous” request (defined by size/complexity thresholds elsewhere in the Act) instead of just denying it outright -- it must notify the requester within 5 business days and give them a chance to narrow the request.

4 issues across 3 determination letters:3 no violation · 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 Determination letters are not binding precedent.

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-3-6-c.json.

TOPIC: 5 ILCS 140/3.6(c)
SOURCE: Illinois Attorney General Public Access Bureau decisions compiled at https://illinoisfoia.org/issues/foia-3-6-c/
NOTE: Determination letters are not binding precedent; they show how the Bureau applies the law.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.

NO VIOLATION (3):
- Timeliness of voluminous designation
  Rule: A public body must respond to an amended voluminous request within 5 business days; the District's response on September 9 was timely.
  Decision: Records of school busing errors and transportation incidents (non-binding determination letter, October 23, 2024) https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-82943/
- Ability to charge fees for voluminous request
  Rule: FOIA does not require a public body to waive copying fees for voluminous requests, and the District did not provide a fee estimate but offered to confer.
  Decision: Records of school busing errors and transportation incidents (non-binding determination letter, October 23, 2024) https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-82943/
- Requirement to provide fee estimate
  Rule: A public body need not provide a fee estimate for a non-voluminous request.
  Decision: Documents about a city's property acquisition for a Dollar General store (non-binding determination letter, January 8, 2019) https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53612/

NO DETERMINATION / RESOLVED (1):
- Failure to offer opportunity to reduce request
  Rule: District did not strictly comply with requirement to offer opportunity to reduce request, but requesters did not object and it was unlikely to change outcome.
  Decision: Emails between a school board president and superintendent (non-binding determination letter, September 19, 2025) https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-81283/



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.

No violation (3)

Timeliness of voluminous designation
Rule: A public body must respond to an amended voluminous request within 5 business days; the District's response on September 9 was timely.
No violation Records of school busing errors and transportation incidents · October 23, 2024
Ability to charge fees for voluminous request
Rule: FOIA does not require a public body to waive copying fees for voluminous requests, and the District did not provide a fee estimate but offered to confer.
No violation Records of school busing errors and transportation incidents · October 23, 2024
Requirement to provide fee estimate
Rule: A public body need not provide a fee estimate for a non-voluminous request.
No violation Documents about a city's property acquisition for a Dollar General store · January 8, 2019

No determination / resolved (1)

Failure to offer opportunity to reduce request
Rule: District did not strictly comply with requirement to offer opportunity to reduce request, but requesters did not object and it was unlikely to change outcome.
No determination / resolved Emails between a school board president and superintendent · September 19, 2025