Virginia · Freedom of Information Act

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act, built for citizen and media requesters

AccessPoint manages Freedom of Information Act requests under Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. — the prompt five-working-day response, access reserved for Virginia citizens and the media, and the discretionary exclusions the Act allows — pre-configured for Virginia and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

Start Free Trial Request a Demo

Virginia at a glance

Response standard
Promptly, and in all cases within 5 working days; up to 7 additional working days if not practically possible (§ 2.2-3704(B))
Who may request
Citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of Virginia media (§ 2.2-3704(A))
Exclusions
Discretionary exclusions — records may be withheld at the custodian's discretion (§§ 2.2-3705.1 to 2.2-3705.8)
Charges
Reasonable charges not to exceed actual cost of accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching (§ 2.2-3704(F))
Oversight
Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council; enforcement by court petition (§ 2.2-3713)
Languages
English

Built for Virginia

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

FOIA request lifecycle

Intake to release under the Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.) — the prompt five-working-day response, the additional seven-working-day extension, and requester-status checks — all on Microsoft 365.

Citizen and media requesters

Virginia FOIA rights run to citizens of the Commonwealth and to Virginia newspapers, magazines, and broadcasters — not the general public. AccessPoint captures requester status at intake, and the advisory FOIA Council's opinions inform how each request is handled.

The five-working-day clock

Respond promptly, and in all cases within five working days; when it is not practically possible, invoke the additional seven working days — computed and reminded for you.

Exclusions and redaction

Apply the Act's exclusions line by line — most of them discretionary, so a record may be released even when it could be withheld — on a colour-coded, audit-trailed redaction record.

Actual-cost charges

Charge reasonable fees that do not exceed the actual cost of accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for records, with an advance cost estimate on request.

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

Who may ask, and who advises

In Virginia, FOIA answers to citizens and the media — and the FOIA Council advises, but does not compel.

Virginia's FOIA is narrower than most at the door: the right to inspect and copy runs to citizens of the Commonwealth and to representatives of Virginia's newspapers, magazines, and broadcasters, not to anyone anywhere. When disputes arise, the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council issues advisory opinions that interpret the Act and guide practice — but it cannot order a record released. Binding relief comes only by petition for mandamus or injunction in court. AccessPoint captures requester status at intake and keeps the Council's guidance and the court route in view.

Citizen and media access Rights reserved for Commonwealth citizens and Virginia media, captured at intake.
Advisory FOIA Council Opinions that interpret the Act and resolve disputes — guidance, not orders.
Court enforcement Binding relief by mandamus or injunction in the general district or circuit court.

Configured out of the box

Installing the us-va-foia configuration pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.) as the legal-authority and citation spine
  • The Virginia state-holiday calendar and the five-working-day response and seven-working-day extension due-date rules
  • Requester-status capture for citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of Virginia media
  • The Act's exclusions, colour-coded for redaction and flagged where withholding is discretionary
  • Actual-cost charge rules under § 2.2-3704(F), with advance cost estimates
  • FOIA correspondence templates with statutory wording, including the extension notice
  • The FOIA Council advisory-opinion and court-petition (mandamus/injunction) workflow
  • Virginia timeliness tracking against the prompt-response standard

Virginia Questions

When must a Virginia public body respond to a FOIA request?
Promptly, and in all cases within five working days of receiving the request. If it is not practically possible to respond within that time, the public body may take an additional seven working days (longer for certain criminal investigative files) after notifying the requester. AccessPoint computes the five-working-day point and drafts the extension notice.

What makes Virginia different — who can file, and who oversees FOIA?
Virginia FOIA rights run only to citizens of the Commonwealth and to representatives of Virginia media, so requester status matters at intake. Oversight is advisory: the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council issues opinions interpreting the Act but cannot compel production — binding relief comes by petition for mandamus or injunction in court. AccessPoint captures requester status and keeps both routes in view.

What can a public body charge?
Reasonable charges that do not exceed the actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records; a requester may ask for a cost estimate in advance, and a deposit may be required for larger requests. AccessPoint computes the charge to actual cost and issues the estimate.

Where does data reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Run the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in One Platform

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, pre-configured for Virginia. No credit card required.

Start Free Trial