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If you’ve already read How MuckRock Works and you still have questions about the details, understanding the anatomy of a request can help you know what to expect.
MuckRock is an independent non-profit organization. We don’t work for the agencies that we request records from, we work for our users. You always have the right to file any request directly with the agency you are interested in — but we think our services make filing a public records request far easier.
Browse our database of over 24,000 public agencies to see what we know about any one agency. When you add a particular agency to a request, we’ll use our database to decide on the best way to file a request. Typically, if an agency has a portal, we’ll use that. If they don’t have a portal, we’ll email the request. If the agency doesn’t take email, we’ll fax the request. If and if they don’t have a portal or an email address or a fax line, we’ll print your request and send it by USPS to the agency’s mailing address.
If you know that an agency contact is incorrect, you can help us fix it. As long as you’re logged in to MuckRock, you’ll see a button that let’s you “Suggest a Change” to any agency, and let us know what needs to be fixed.
You can always see how a request or followup was submitted by look at the request itself — you’ll be able to see whether it was sent by Portal, Mail, Email or Fax.
When we submit a request through a Portal, it will be marked Portal. And if you look for the Show Portal Info section to the left of your request, you can see how to access the portal directly.
When we send correspondence by USPS, we track it. So you can see when it was sent (Jan 9, in this case) and when USPS let us know it was out for delivery (Jan 17) to the recipient.
In some cases, we have to manually submit portal requests. We have an overnight team that tackles those, so you’ll see none on your request when you first submit it. If it has been more than one full business day and you’re still seeing that none tag, use the “Get Help” button to reach out.
Once your request is filed, you can track it’s progress on your MuckRock profile.
Our glossary of Request status definitions is a good starting point for making sure you understand what any one status means. As soon as your request has been sent, the status will be set to Awaiting Acknowledgment. Most agencies will acknowledge your request promptly. If a request has been Awaiting Acknowledgement for more than a few days, start by taking a look at the agency page — some agencies just take longer than others.
We’ll send reminders to the agency, but sometimes a request needs a second set of eyes. Unless there’s a clear indication that this agency is just pokey 🐌, use the “Get help” button to let us know that you need a hand.
If we hear back from an agency that they have questions, or require a payment, we’ll tag your request fix required or payment required. You should be able to see quickly what’s needed and you can reply directly on the request.
Any correspondence we receive by email or fax is added to your request automatically.
Some portal systems offer an API that allows us to automatically add any new material to your request, as soon as it arrives.
Some portal systems require us to manually log in and download records. We have a late night team that tackles those portals overnight. So your records should be available on MuckRock the following morning. If it has been more than one business day and your records still have not appeared, definitely use the “Get Help” button to alert us.
We collect mail at least 3 days per week. All mail is promptly scanned and any mail related to your request will be attached to your request as soon as we have it. We keep physical files for six months, and then destroy them.