Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
FOIA is the State of Illinois Freedom of Information Act under which certain public records in possession of public agencies may be accessed by the public upon written request. Some records are, however, not subject to release via the FOIA process; these types of records are described under section 7 of the Act (5 ILCS 140/7).
Fill out an online FOIA Request Form
by Clicking Here
FOIA requests may be submitted:
- Online by completing the FOIA Request Form above
- In person at the City Clerk's Office, Urbana City Hall
- By U.S. mail to the address below
FOIA Officer
Ross McNeil
Email: Ross.McNeil [at] UrbanaIL.gov (Ross[dot]McNeil[at]UrbanaIL[dot]gov)
Phone: 217-384-6276
Mailing Address: 400 S. Vine Street, Urbana, IL 61801
For questions about the FOIA process or the status of a pending request, please contact the FOIA Officer.
Response Time
The City will respond to FOIA requests within five business days after receiving a completed request. If additional time is needed, the requester will be notified in writing and provided the reason for the extension, as permitted by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
Other Public Records
Birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses are available through the Champaign County Clerk.
Calls for Service reports and 911 recordings should be requested through METCAD.
Allowable Fees
City Clerk Certification: $1.00
For paper responses exceeding 50 pages, the City may impose a charge of $0.15 per page for the portion exceeding 50 pages.
For electronic records provided on physical media, the City may charge for the actual cost of the recording media.
For Commercial Requests, the City may charge up to $10.00 for each hour spent, in excess of 8 hours, for the time spent searching for, retrieving, examining, and redacting records.