Statement of Purpose

Civic Source Lab

Civic Source Lab maintains an archival record of agency responses to Freedom of Information Act requests, tracking readiness and compliance at the federal, state, county, and municipal levels. Structured reports drawn from the record are furnished to private parties and to other interested parties.

The archive consolidates, in structured form, the disposition of public records requests submitted to government offices: acknowledgement, fulfilment, partial production, denial, and the intervals in which each occurred. Records are maintained in a consistent, documented form so that the performance of an office may be examined across periods and compared across jurisdictions.

From these records the office produces recurring reports describing the readiness and compliance of the agencies observed — federal and state offices, and those of counties and municipalities. Reports are furnished to private parties and to other interested parties; the terms under which they are supplied are described on the Access page.

All data is retained for historical reference and for the verification of accuracy across reporting periods. Superseded figures remain part of the record, so that any report issued may later be reproduced and checked against the archive as it stood at the time.

The archive itself is not a public database. Its contents are furnished through the reports described above and through the licensed data sets listed below. Correspondence may be directed through the Contact page.

Data Sets Available Under Licence

In addition to the recurring reports, the office licenses discrete data sets covering records access performance, building codes, and zoning at the state, county, and municipal levels. Each is maintained in a consistent, documented form and supplied under written licence.

Descriptions and terms of availability are provided in the catalogue. Enquiries regarding acquisition may be submitted through the Contact page.