Request Department of Civil Service Records
Through the New York State
Freedom of Information Law
Overview
The Freedom of Information Law ("FOIL"), Article 6 (Sections 84-90)
of the NYS Public
Officers Law, provides the public right to access to records maintained by government agencies with certain exceptions. "Record" means
any information kept, held, filed, produced or reproduced by, with, or for this agency, in any physical form whatsoever including, but not
limited to, reports, statements, examinations, memoranda, opinions, folders, files, books, manuals, pamphlets, forms, papers, designs,
drawings, maps, photos, letters, microfilms, computer tapes or disks, rules, regulations or codes.
Learn more about records access and GovQA.
Request Records
Use the GovQA online form.
Mail a written request to:
Records Access Officer
New York State Department of Civil Service
Albany, NY 12239
E-mail a written request to: FOIL@cs.ny.gov.
Fax a written request to: (518) 473-2632.
Submit a request for records in person:
Empire State Plaza
Swan Street Building (Core 1) - 1st Floor
Albany, NY 12239
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Please be advised records require review prior to disclosure. As a result, documents and records will not be immediately available.
FOIL Process
Within five business days of the receipt of a written request for a record reasonably described, we will send you a letter either: making such record available; denying such request in writing; or furnishing a written acknowledgment of the receipt of such request. If you have not received a letter within five business days, please contact us at (518) 473-2624 or FOIL@cs.ny.gov.
An acknowledgment letter will provide you with an estimate of when the records you request will be available, which shall be reasonable under the circumstances of the request. This date is determined by the number of documents you request, their format, their availability, the time it takes to redact any information that cannot be disclosed pursuant to FOIL, the time it takes to assemble the documents, and other factors.
If the records you request require a fee to be paid you will be notified prior to the records being released to you. Once payment is received we will immediately provide you with the records you requested. Public Officers Law Section 87(1) authorizes an agency to charge a fee of 25¢ per copy for copies of records up 9" x 14", or the actual cost of reproducing a record. In determining the actual cost of producing a record, an agency may include only:
- an amount equal to the hourly salary attributed to the lowest paid agency employee who has the necessary skill required to prepare the requested record(s), if at least two hours of agency employee time is needed to prepare a copy of the record(s) requested;
- the actual cost of the storage devices or media provided to the person making the request in complying with such request; and
- the actual cost to the agency of engaging an outside professional service to prepare a copy of a record, but only when an agency's information technology equipment is inadequate to prepare a copy, if such service is used to prepare the copy.
Once the requested records are prepared, you may receive the records via email, fax, paper, CD/DVD, or USB. Records are available for inspection, by appointment, on business days between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Department of Civil Service, Empire State Plaza, Swan Street Building (Core 1), 1st Floor, Albany, NY 12239. You may schedule an appointment for in-person inspection of records by calling (518) 473-2624.
Right to Appeal
Under provisions of the Public Officers Law you may appeal a FOIL determination. If you desire to submit such an appeal, you must do so within 30 days of the written response to your FOIL request. Please include a copy of the original request for records and a copy of the FOIL response letter you received along with your appeal letter to:
Records Appeal Officer
New York State Department of Civil Service
Albany, NY 12239
You will be informed in writing of the decision within ten business days of our receipt of such an appeal. Please indicate the FOIL Request Number when corresponding on this subject.
Subject Matter List
The following is a current list of records, by subject matter, that are maintained by this agency. Some of the listed records may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law.
Helpful Tips
For more information about FOIL, please visit:
Many Department records are available online and can be obtained by searching this website. If you do not find the information you seek on the website, please submit a request using the GovQA NY online form.
Please be advised the New York State Freedom of Information Law exempts from disclosure examination questions and answers prior to the
final administration of such questions. For additional information regarding "final administration," please refer to the New York State Committee on Open Government Advisory Opinion AO-18562.
For local government examination results, contact the appropriate municipal civil service agency directly.
When submitting a FOIL request:
- Be as specific as possible in describing the requested records. Include relevant dates, names, descriptions, etc.
See suggested language for a FOIL request from the Committee on Open Government.
- If records are available, specify how you want them sent, i.e., via US mail, e-mail or fax. We may choose to send the records by U.S. mail, if you have requested a large volume of records, for security or other important reasons. We will notify you of any charge for reproducing such records before they are sent to you.
- Include your e-mail, mailing address and fax number, as well as a telephone number where you can be reached during business hours, if it is necessary to clarify your request.
- Please note that the agency is not required to create a new record in response to FOIL requests.