The City of Beaufort has implemented a fee structure for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, as approved in the City’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget and adopted by City Council. This change follows the completion of internal processes necessary to accept and manage payments in accordance with the City’s approved fee schedule.
After a FOIA request is received, City staff will conduct an initial review to determine whether responsive records exist and to estimate the time required to gather, review, and redact the requested documents. This review period typically takes 10 to 20 business days, depending on the age of the records responsive to the request.
Once the review is complete, the requestor will be notified of:
- Whether responsive records are available
- The estimated total cost associated with fulfilling the request
- The required 25% deposit needed to proceed with processing the request
- Instructions for submitting payment
Work on gathering and redacting records will begin only after the required deposit is received.
Upon completion of the request, the requestor will receive a final invoice. Full payment of the remaining balance is required prior to the release of records.
Payment Options
At this time, payments may be made by check, money order, or cash (in person only).
Checks and money orders should be made payable to City of Beaufort and mailed to:
City of Beaufort
ATTN: FOIA
1911 Boundary Street
Beaufort, SC 29902
Payments may also be made in person at the same address, first-floor Planning Office.
The City anticipates launching an online payment portal in March, which will allow FOIA-related payments to be made electronically. Until that system is available, payments must be submitted by mail or in person.
The City of Beaufort remains committed to transparency and public access to information while ensuring FOIA requests are processed efficiently, consistently, and in compliance with state law.
For more information regarding FOIA requests or the City’s fee schedule, please contact the Public Information Officer at abrandon@cityofbeaufort.org.
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