The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

The Virginia Freedom Information Act (FOIA) (PDF), often called FOIA for short, provides the public access to documents and records held by Shenandoah County. This page is intended to introduce FOIA and provide contact information for those seeking documents and records from our county departments. If you are unsure of what document or record you are seeking or to whom to direct your request please feel free to contact one of our designated FOIA officers listed below.

A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records and shall make all reasonable efforts to supply the requested records at the lowest possible cost. No public body shall impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. Prior to conducting a search for records, the public body shall notify the requester in writing that the public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for requested records and inquire of the requester whether he would like to request a cost estimate in advance of the supplying of the requested records as set forth in subsection F of section 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.