Freedom of Information Act Requests

What is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?

Chapter 100 of Title 29 of the Delaware Code, the Freedom of Information Act, states that "it is vital in a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner so that our citizens shall have the opportunity to observe the performance of public officials and to monitor the decisions that are made by such officials in formulating and executing public policy."

It further specifies that "all public records shall be open to inspection and during regular business hours by the custodian of the records for the appropriate public body. Reasonable access to and reasonable facilities for copying of these records shall not be denied to any citizen."

The City of Rehoboth Beach FOIA policy was developed to grant citizens reasonable access to the City’s public records. The complete policy is available by contacting the City Secretary’s Office (see below).

What is a public record?

FOIA defines a public record as "information of any kind, owned, made, used, retained, produced, composed, drafted or otherwise compiled or collected by any public body, relating in any way to public business, or in any way of public interest, or in any way related to public purposes, regardless of the physical form or characteristic by which such information is stored, recorded or reproduced."

FOIA grants exemption from the definition of "public record" to certain documents, and these records are not subject to public disclosure under FOIA. A complete list of exempted records is included in Title 29, Chapter 100, §10002(g) of the Delaware Code. Some of the commonly exempted documents include personnel records, investigatory files compiled for civil or criminal law-enforcement purposes, trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person which is of a privileged or confidential nature, records involving labor negotiations or collective bargaining, etc.

How Do I Submit a FOIA Request?

Please download and read the adopted FOIA policy here:

In order to submit your FOIA request electronically, click on this link, FOIA Request Form, fill in your information on the form and click on the Submit tab at the bottom of the page. Your request will be submitted directly to the FOIA Coordinator (see below for contact information).

Who can I contact for further information about FOIA requests?

The City Secretary's Office is responsible for coordinating all FOIA requests. Please direct all requests and inquiries to the FOIA Coordinator.