FOIA Request

Purpose

The Freedom of Information Act "FOIA" (Illinois General Assembly – 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.) allows the public to request copies or the inspection of public records.  

The information you are seeking may already be available on this website or on another individual department's webpage.

For more information on submitting FOIA requests to other County departments, please visit Lake County's Freedom of Information Act webpage.

How to Submit a Request

Please be advised that the Freedom of Information Act is designed to allow you to inspect or receive copies of records. It is not designed to require a public body to answer questions. To the extent that you wish to ask questions of Lake County, please contact the the Lake County State's Attorney directly. 

  1. Review the FOIA Records List to confirm the Lake County State's Attorney's Office maintains the records being sought. 
  2. Submit a FOIA Request using this online portal.   
  3. Please be as specific as possible when describing the records being sought. If you choose to not use the online portal, you may do a written request. Make sure to include your contact information, whether the request is for commercial purposes, and whether the request is for electronic records, copies of the records, or for inspection of the records. See Copy Fees below.
  4. Email, fax, mail, or hand deliver the written request to the Lake County State's Attorney's FOIA Officer, Nicole Farrow. 

Email: nfarrow@lakecountyil.gov
Phone: 847-377-3000
Mail: 18 North County Street, 3rd Floor, Waukegan, IL 60085   

Copy Fees

  • First 50 pages are free (black & white)
  • $0.15 per page thereafter (black & white) unless a different fee is otherwise fixed by statute. 
  • Actual costs of copying for color copies 

Electronic records can be requested and will be provided, as allowed under the law.

You are permitted to request a waiver of copying fees. To do so you must attach a statement explaining why your request for information is in the public’s – and not simply the requester’s – interest and merits a fee waiver. FOIA requests are considered in the public interest “if the principal purpose of the request is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety and welfare or the legal rights of the general public and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial benefit.” 5 ILCS 140/6(c).