CFR > Title 36 - Parks, Forests, and Public Property > CHAPTER XII—NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION > SUBCHAPTER C—PUBLIC AVAILABILITY AND USE (parts 1250 to 1258) > PART 1250—PUBLIC AVAILABILITY AND USE OF FEDERAL RECORDS > SUBPART B—How To Access Records Under FOIA (§1250.20 to §1250.38) > 1250.26—How quickly will NARA respond to my FOIA request?

1250.26—How quickly will NARA respond to my FOIA request?

(a) NARA will make an initial response to all FOIA requests within 20 working days. The initial response will inform requesters of any complexity in processing their request, which may lengthen the time required to reach a final decision on the release of the records.
(b) In most cases, NARA will make a decision on the release of the records you requested within the 20 working days. If unusual circumstances prevent us from making a decision within 20 working days, we will inform you in writing how long it will take us to complete your request. Unusual circumstances are the need to:
(1) Search for and collect the records from field facilities;
(2) Search for, collect, and review a voluminous amount of records which are part of a single request; or
(3) Consult with another agency before releasing records.
(c) If we are extending the deadline for more than an additional 10 working days, we will ask you if you wish to modify your request so that we can meet the deadline. If you do not agree to modify your request, we will work with you to arrange an alternative time schedule for review and release.
(d) If you have requested records that we do not have the authority to release without consulting another agency (e.g. security-classified records), we will refer copies of the documents to the appropriate agency. NARA will send you an initial response to your FOIA requests within 20 working days informing you of this referral. However, the final response to your FOIA can only be made when the agency to which we have referred the documents responds to us.
(e) If you have requested Presidential records and NARA decides to grant you access, NARA must inform the incumbent and former Presidents of our intention to disclose information from those records. After receiving the notice, the incumbent and former Presidents have 30 days in which to decide whether or not to invoke Executive privilege to deny access to the information. NARA will send you an initial response to your FOIA request within 20 working days informing you of the status of your request. However, the final response to your FOIA can only be made at the end of the 30-day Presidential notification period.
(f) If you have requested records containing confidential commercial information that is less than 10 years old, we will contact the submitter of the requested information. NARA will send you an initial response to your FOIA request within 20 working days informing you of our actions. See § 1250.82 for the time allowed the submitter to object to the release of confidential commercial information. If the records contain confidential commercial information that is 10 years old or older, NARA staff will not contact the submitter, but will process the request under normal FOIA procedures.