The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140 et. seq.) requires all public bodies in the state to make non-exempt public records available for inspection and copying. The City of Berwyn not only strives to comply with this law, but fully endorses the fundamental concept that all persons are entitled to full, accurate, and complete information regarding the affairs of the City and the official acts and policies adopted by the City officials and public employees. To review the State of Illinois FOIA Statute, please click HERE.  

Before You File

Before making a request for a City record, search to see if the information you are interested in is publicly available and/or published on our website.

Use the search bar located on the top right-hand corner of our webpage and enter in key words to access public records.

To ensure that each FOIA request is acted upon in a complete and timely fashion, please provide as much known information about the requested record as possible (e.g. type of record, approximate date of record, department where record may be located. etc.). The request should indicate whether the records are to be inspected, copied, and/or certified. 

How to Request a City (FOIA) Record

The Berwyn City Clerk is the designated FOIA Officer for all city departments excluding the Berwyn Police Department (scroll to bottom of page for instructions on how to FOIA Police Department records).

1. In-Person: Berwyn City Hall (First Floor), City Clerk's Office, 6700 W. 26th Street, Berwyn, IL. 60402 during normal business hours. 
2. By Mail, E-Mail or Fax: The City of Berwyn, City Clerk's Office also accepts FOIA requests received via Fax at (708)788-2675, E-Mail, to City Clerk Margaret Paul (mpaul@ci.berwyn.il.us) and Deputy Clerk Sandra Anderson (sanderson@ci.berwyn.il.us) or by mail, City Clerk's Office, 6700 W. 26th Street, Berwyn, IL, 60402. PLEASE NOTE: The City will accept any legible written request provided. Oral requests are not accepted. 

City of Berwyn City Clerk FOIA Fees

Unless otherwise waived, copying fees must be paid in advance of the records being made available to the requester.

• 8.5" x 11" documents: $0.15/page
• 8.5 x 14" documents: $0.15/page
• 11" x 14" documents:  $0.15/page
• Compact Disc: $5.00/unit
• Certification: $1.00/document

PLEASE NOTE: the first fifty (50) pages of standard, black and white copies are free. Fees will not be waived for colored copies or copies exceeding 11" x 14" in area, unless a waiver or fee reduction is granted by the FOIA Officers. Additional fees for accident records may apply. If the request is being made for a commercial purpose, the requester must disclose that to the City at the time the request is made. It is a violation of the Act to knowingly obtain a public record for a commercial purpose without stating the intent for disclosure. 

Response to FOIA Requests

• Non-Commercial FOIA Requests: Within five (5) business days of receipt from City Clerk's Office. 
• Commercial FOIA Requests: Within twenty-one (21) business days of receipt from City Clerk's Office.

HOW TO FILE A FOIA RECORD REQUEST WITH THE BERWYN POLICE DEPARTMENT

Due to the request volume the Berwyn Police Department receives, as well as the sensitivity and legality issues associated with the release of information associated with police records, all requests pertaining to police records MUST be submitted directly to the Berwyn Police Department. 

Please visit the Berwyn Police Department website at https://berwynpd.org/foia/ to find the most updated FOIA request information you need to start a FOIA request for any/all Berwyn Police Department records.