Request NYS Office of General Services Records Through the New York State Freedom of Information Law

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 discs, rules, regulations or codes.

You may not have to file a FOIL request if you are seeking records concerning the agency’s contracts or many other aspects of its operation, as a number of records of interest to the public are already posted on our website at https://ogs.ny.gov/.

The fastest and most efficient method for submitting a FOIL request is through the link below to the FOIL Records Access Center.  Our response will be coordinated through the Center. 

submit a foil request

We also accept FOIL requests through the following means, however, use of the FOIL Records Access Center is preferable as it allows us to provide responsive records more quickly.

Mail a written request to:

• Records Access Officer
  Public Affairs Office
  New York State Office of General Services
  Corning Tower Building, 36th Floor
  The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
  Albany, New York 12242-0001

Email a written request to [email protected]

Submit a request for records in person:

Location Information/Instructions: Our main offices are located in Corning Tower, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York.

Upon entering the main entrance of the building, advise the security staff that you would like to request records. Security staff will contact the Records Access Office, and a staff member will provide assistance. Please be advised 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) 474-0571 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 records 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, or paper records, or a CD/DVD or USB will be mailed to you. Records are available for inspection, by appointment, on business days between 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. at the Records Access Office, OGS Public Affairs Office, Corning Tower, 36th Floor, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12242-0001, or one of the other locations identified in the agency’s regulations.

You may schedule an appointment for in-person inspection of records by calling (518) 474-0571.

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:

Commissioner of General Services
New York State Office of General Services
36th Floor, Corning Tower
The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12242-0001

You will be informed in writing of the decision within ten business days of our receipt of such an appeal. Please indicate the FOIL Request Number when corresponding on this subject.

The FOIL regulations of the Office of General Services (9 NYCRR Part 330) can be found at the following link:

OGS FOIL Regulations

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. See suggested language for a FOIL request from the Committee on Open Government.
• 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 or e-mail. We may choose to send the records by US 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 email, mailing address and 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.