Freedom of Information Act

The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) promotes transparency and accountability of public bodies at all levels of government. The act states, "It is a fundamental obligation of government to operate openly and provide public records as expediently and efficiently as possible in compliance with this Act." The presumption is that all records in custody or possession of a public body are presumed to be open to inspection or copying. As a public body, CMAP is required to adhere to FOIA.

The information you seek may be on this website and not require you to submit a FOIA request form. If you can't find what you are looking for, follow the guidance below to request information from CMAP.

Completing your request

If you would like to submit a FOIA request, please carefully read the information below. Illinois law requires public bodies to respond or deny to FOIA requests within five days. The time for a response can be extended for an additional five working days, as allowed under the law.

Please complete a FOIA Request Form and mail, email, or hand-deliver directly to the following:

Attn: FOIA Officer
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
433 W. Van Buren Street, Suite 450
Chicago, IL 60607

Phone: (312) 454-0400

Email: Freedom of Information Officer, FOIA@cmap.illinois.gov

Please be specific in the nature of your request in order for the FOIA officer to process your request more efficiently. (Illinois law does not require you to submit on a standard form, but the request should be in writing).

Instructions for requesting information and public records

Please make your request for records in writing. CMAP does not require the completion of a standard form for this purpose, however a form is available for your convenience. To submit the available form electronically you must save it to your computer then e-mail it to FOIA@cmap.illinois.gov. You may submit your written request by mail, fax, email or in person. If sending your request via email, use FOIA in subject line to identify your email as a FOIA request and to reduce the possibility of its being filtered as SPAM.
Please be as specific as possible when describing the records you are seeking. Remember, the Freedom of Information Act is designed to allow you to inspect or receive copies of records. It is not designed to require a public body to answer questions. To the extent that you wish to ask questions of a representative of CMAP please refer our department list.
Please tell us whether you would like copies of the requested records, or whether you wish to examine the records in person. You have the right to do either.
For black and white, letter or legal sized copies, the first 50 pages are free, unless a different fee is otherwise fixed by statute. Any additional pages will be charged at 15 cents per page. Color and abnormal size copies will be charged the actual cost of copying.
You are permitted to ask for a waiver of copying fees. To do so, please include the following statement (or a similar statement) in your written FOIA request: "I request a waiver of all fees associated with this request." In addition, you must include a specific explanation as to why your request for information is in the public interest — not simply your personal interest — and merits a fee waiver.
Please include your name, preferred telephone number(s), mailing address, and, if you wish, your electronic mail address.

Copy fees

First 50 pages are free (black & white)
15 cents per page thereafter (black & white)
Actual costs of copying for color copies

*Electronic records can be requested and will be provided, as allowed under the law.

For more information about the Illinois FOIA, visit the Illinois attorney general's FOIA website.