Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)

The Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”), Article 6 (Sections 84-90) of the NYS Public Officers Law, provides the public right to access records maintained by government agencies with certain exceptions. 

“Record” means any information kept, held, filed, produced or reproduced by, with, or for this agency, in any physical form whatsoever including, but not limited to, reports, statements, examinations, memoranda, opinions, folders, files, books, manuals, pamphlets, forms, papers, designs, drawings, maps, photos, letters, microfilms, computer tapes or disks, rules, regulations or codes.

Use the FOIL Online Form

Submit a FOIL Request

Mail a written request to:

FOIL Requests
NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
Alfred E. Smith Building
80 South Swan Street
Albany, New York 12210

E-mail a written request to: [email protected]

This mailbox is checked during regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., excluding State Holidays, and should not be used to send urgent messages.

Fax a written request to: (518) 457-5810

Submit a request for records in person:

Our main offices are located in the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Albany, New York. Upon entering the main entrance of the building, advise Security Staff that you would like to request Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence records. Security Staff will contact the Office, and a staff member will provide assistance. Please be advised that requests must be in writing, and records require review prior to disclosure. As a result, documents and records will not be immediately available.

Within five business days of the receipt of a written request for a record reasonably described, we will send you a letter either: making such record available; denying such request in writing; or furnishing a written acknowledgment of the receipt of such request.  If you have not received a letter within five business days, please contact us at (518) 457-5800 or [email protected].

An acknowledgment letter will provide you with an estimate of when the records you request will be available, which shall be reasonable under the circumstances of the request. This date is determined by the number of documents you request, their format, their availability, the time it takes to redact any information that cannot be disclosed pursuant to FOIL, the time it takes to assemble the documents, and other factors. 

If the records you request require a fee to be paid, you will be notified prior to the records being released to you. Unless a different fee is otherwise prescribed by statute, Public Officers Law §87(1) authorizes an agency to charge a fee of 25¢ per copy for copies of records up 9”x 14”, or the actual cost of reproducing a record. In determining the actual cost of producing a record, an agency may include only:

• an amount equal to the hourly salary attributed to the lowest paid agency employee who has the necessary skill required to prepare the requested record(s), if at least two hours of agency employee time is needed to prepare a copy of the record(s) requested;
• the actual cost of the storage devices or media provided to the person making the request in complying with such request; and
• the actual cost to the agency of engaging an outside professional service to prepare a copy of a record, but only when an agency's information technology equipment is inadequate to prepare a copy, if such service is used to prepare the copy.

Once the requested records are prepared, you may receive the records via email, fax, paper, CD/DVD, or USB. Records are available for inspection, by appointment, on business days between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 80 South Swan Street, Room 1157, Albany, New York 12210. You may schedule an appointment for in-person inspection of records by calling (518) 457-5800.

Under provisions of the Public Officers Law you may appeal a FOIL determination.  If you desire to submit such an appeal, you must do so within 30 days of the written response to your FOIL request. Please include a copy of the original request for records and a copy of the FOIL response letter you received along with your appeal letter to:

Executive Director NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Alfred E. Smith Building 80 South Swan Street Room 1157 Albany, New York 12210

You will be informed in writing of the decision within ten business days of our receipt of such an appeal.

The following is a list of records, by subject matter, that are maintained by this agency. Some of these records may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law. The list is current as of February, 2024, and is updated annually.

• Advisory Council Records
• Agency Policies and Procedures
• Agency Reports
• Contract Records
• Departmental Legislation Records
• Domestic Violence Regional Council Meeting Records
• Domestic Violence Task Force Records
• External Meeting Records
• Fatality Review Records
• Freedom of Information Law Request Records
• Governor’s DV and COVID-19 Task Force Records
• Grant Records
• Internal Controls Records
• Inventory Control Records
• Public Hearing Records
• Publications
• Statement of Financial Disclosure Required Filers Records
• Training Records 

All Human Resources records are maintained by our host agency, Office of General Services. 

Please note that we do not maintain any records regarding individual incidents or cases of domestic violence.

For more information about FOIL, please visit the New York State Committee on Open Government’s website.

When submitting a FOIL request:

• Be as specific as possible in describing the requested records. Include relevant dates, names, descriptions, etc. 
• Specify whether you would like to inspect the records or have copies of the records sent to you.
• If records are available, specify how you want them sent, i.e., via US mail, e-mail or fax. We may choose to send the records by U.S. mail, if you have requested a large volume of records, for security or other important reasons. We will notify you of any charge for reproducing such records before they are sent to you.
• Include your e-mail, mailing address and fax number, as well as a telephone number where you can be reached during business hours, if it is necessary to clarify your request.
• Please note that the agency is not required to create a new record in response to FOIL requests.

Information related to specific types of Agency records:

• All Human Resources records, and most financial records, are maintained by our host agency, the Division of Criminal Justice Services.
• Please note that we do not maintain any records regarding individual incidents or cases of domestic violence.