Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and State of Wisconsin Open Records Requests

Page Updated: May 13, 2026

There are two common types of open record requests: Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and State of Wisconsin Open Records requests.

FOIA Requests

The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of 1967 provides the public with access to records from any federal agencies.

FOIA requests typically come from designated federal agency offices and are clearly marked as FOIA request. These requests may come into generic email boxes or to specific individuals within RSP. The PI is almost always copied on a request. FOIA requests are rarely sent to the PI only.

All FOIA requests are forwarded to the following staff from the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA):

• Mary Ashley McCollough (mmccollough@wisc.edu)
• Samantha Riedeman (samantha.riedeman@wisc.edu)

Open Records Requests

According to the Wisconsin Public Records Law (Wis. Stats. §19.31-19.39), state agencies and institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provide transparency to the public by granting the right of access to records. A requester may inspect and/or receive a copy of any record that is not specifically excepted by some provision of state or federal law. (See the Office of Compliance Wisconsin Public Records website for more information.)

If you receive an open records request, under the Public Records Law, you should either direct that person to submit the request through the UW-Madison Public Records Portal or forward the request (or requester) directly to the UW-Madison’s Public Records Custodians at public_records@wisc.edu. The Public Records Custodians will communicate with the requester about the request, help the record holders identify any responsive records, and respond to the request.

If you receive notice that a requester has requested records, you are required to maintain the responsive records and are prohibited from destroying the records.