During the federal government’s maximum telework flexibilities operating status, the U.S. Department of Labor is still able to receive and timely log FOIA requests and appeals submitted through the Department’s Public Access Portal or the designated email addresses (foiarequests@dol.gov and foiaappeals@dol.gov, respectively) as well as those submitted through the National FOIA Portal. The receipt of FOIA requests and FOIA appeals received through other methods may be delayed. Please also note that the processing of some FOIA requests may be delayed due to the inability of FOIA staff to access responsive paper files maintained in unattended offices or those held at any of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Federal Records Centers, which are closed for records retrieval services at this time.
Quick Links
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. Like all federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is required to disclose records requested in writing by any person. However, agencies may withhold information pursuant to the nine exemptions and three statutory exclusions contained in the statute. FOIA applies only to federal agencies and does not create a right of access to records held by Congress, the courts, or by state or local government agencies.
Our Guide to Submitting Requests under the Freedom of Information Act and list of agency components provide useful information to assist FOIA requesters in submitting a FOIA request by mail, fax or email to the U.S. Department of Labor. You can view the list of disclosure officers to help you determine where to submit your request. Before submitting a FOIA request, we encourage you to use DOL search to see if the information you seek is already posted on our website.
You can also find out the status of submitted FOIA requests using our FOIA Public Portal, a tracking system for FOIA submissions.
FOIA requests are usually managed by the individual agencies of the Department. Below is a menu list to our Department's FOIA agency sites.