Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Requests
All Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests for records must be in writing and detail the type, subject matter and date(s) of the records requested. Authorizations and other documents should be attached as needed.
You may write your own request or use our FOIL Request Form (PDF) and send it in as instructed by fax, email or U.S. Postal Service. For help in preparing your request, see our:
Submitting Requests
We strongly encourage you to submit your request by email to recordsaccess@health.nyc.gov. You may also send a request in hard to copy to:
Records Access Officer
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Gotham Center
42-09 28th Street, Floor 14th, CN31
Long Island City, NY 11101
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Records
You can get all data related to indoor environmental complaints through NYC Open Data. Before submitting a FOIL request for Environmental Site Assessment records, you must check this database to see if the site you are investigating has any entries.
- If your site has no entries, then we have no indoor environmental complaint records and your Environmental Site Assessment FOIL request should only concern well sites. For information on accessing other records that may be relevant to your Environmental Site Assessment investigation, see below.
- If your site does have an entry, you will need to provide the date(s) of the indoor environmental complaint(s) for us to locate the related records.
The Health Department will not process any Environmental Site Assessment FOIL requests without the information described above.
Information about lead paint in buildings is not public because it involves children with elevated blood lead levels. Information about wells in New York City will be posted online soon.
Common Environmental Issues for Other Agencies
The following are common environmental issues that are addressed by other agencies and may be relevant to your Environmental Site Assessment investigation:
- Chemical spills that impact outdoor areas: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Health and New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- Underground storage tanks: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- Community air impacts: New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- Sewers: New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- Environmental impacts to parkland: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Contact the above agencies for records. For other NYC agencies, submit FOIL requests online through Open Records.
Dog Bite Records
- If you are requesting dog bite records for yourself or your child, use the FOIL Dog Bite Request Form (PDF).
- Attorneys, insurance companies and other third party requesters seeking dog bite records for their clients should use the FOIL Dog Bite Request Form for Third Party Requesters (PDF).
- Records that are responsive and releasable are generally available to you within 20 business days after receipt of your request. A fee letter will be forwarded to you for payment prior to mailing the records.