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| lexflow:va:records [2026/10/10 01:20] – lexflow: Claude-checked process model and local answers alibama | lexflow:va:records [2026/10/10 09:02] (current) – lexflow: Claude-checked process model and local answers alibama |
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| - **Request records with reasonable specificity** — Requester (citizen of the Commonwealth, or media circulating or broadcasting in Virginia) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(B)) \\ “//A request for public records shall identify the requested records with reasonable specificity.//” | - **Request records with reasonable specificity** — Requester (citizen of the Commonwealth, or media circulating or broadcasting in Virginia) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(B)) \\ “//A request for public records shall identify the requested records with reasonable specificity.//” |
| - **Notify of charges; offer cost estimate** — Public body (records custodian) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(F)) \\ “//Prior to conducting a search for records, the public body shall notify the requester in writing that the public body may make reasonable charges//” | - **Notify of charges; offer cost estimate** — Public body (records custodian) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(F)) \\ “//Prior to conducting a search for records, the public body shall notify the requester in writing that the public body may make reasonable charges//” |
| - **Try to agree on production with requester** — Public body (records custodian) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(C)) \\ “//Before proceeding with the petition, however, the public body shall make reasonable efforts to reach an agreement with the requester//” | - **Try to agree on production with requester** — Public body (records custodian) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704%%(C)%%) \\ “//Before proceeding with the petition, however, the public body shall make reasonable efforts to reach an agreement with the requester//” |
| - **Petition court for more time** — Public body (records custodian) · //permission// (§ 2.2-3704(C)) \\ “//Any public body may petition the appropriate court for additional time to respond to a request for records when the request is for an extraordinary volume of records or requires an extraordinarily lengthy search//” | - **Petition court for more time** — Public body (records custodian) · //permission// (§ 2.2-3704%%(C)%%) \\ “//Any public body may petition the appropriate court for additional time to respond to a request for records when the request is for an extraordinary volume of records or requires an extraordinarily lengthy search//” |
| - **Provide records or answer in writing** — Public body (records custodian) · within 5 business days · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(B)) \\ “//provide the requested records to the requester or make one of the following responses in writing//” | - **Provide records or answer in writing** — Public body (records custodian) · within 5 business days · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(B)) \\ “//provide the requested records to the requester or make one of the following responses in writing//” |
| - **Supply inspection or copies at lowest cost** — Public body (records custodian) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(F)) \\ “//shall make all reasonable efforts to supply the requested records at the lowest possible cost//” | - **Supply inspection or copies at lowest cost** — Public body (records custodian) · //obligation// (§ 2.2-3704(F)) \\ “//shall make all reasonable efforts to supply the requested records at the lowest possible cost//” |
| * This is the Virginia process, so it governs Charlottesville and other Virginia localities only; requests to the District of Columbia (D.C. Code § 2-532) or to Baltimore (Md. Code, General Provisions § 4-203) follow their own statutes and are modelled separately. | * This is the Virginia process, so it governs Charlottesville and other Virginia localities only; requests to the District of Columbia (D.C. Code § 2-532) or to Baltimore (Md. Code, General Provisions § 4-203) follow their own statutes and are modelled separately. |
| * Optional steps that would rejoin the main path are not modelled as separate steps: the custodian may require the requester's name and legal address (A); the cost-estimate exchange tolls the clock, and the request is deemed withdrawn if the requester does not answer an estimate within 30 days (F); a deposit may be required when charges are likely to exceed $200 (H); and unpaid bills 30 days or more past due may have to be paid first (I). | * Optional steps that would rejoin the main path are not modelled as separate steps: the custodian may require the requester's name and legal address (A); the cost-estimate exchange tolls the clock, and the request is deemed withdrawn if the requester does not answer an estimate within 30 days (F); a deposit may be required when charges are likely to exceed $200 (H); and unpaid bills 30 days or more past due may have to be paid first (I). |
| * Court petition (C): the condition extraordinary_burden_and_intends_petition stands for both statutory prongs (an extraordinary volume of records or an extraordinarily lengthy search, and a timely response would prevent the body from meeting its operational responsibilities) plus the body's choice to petition, since the agreement duty applies only before proceeding with the petition. The path is an exclusive alternative to the ordinary response and ends at filing; the statute does not say what follows an agreement or the court's ruling. | * Court petition %%(C)%%: the condition extraordinary_burden_and_intends_petition stands for both statutory prongs (an extraordinary volume of records or an extraordinarily lengthy search, and a timely response would prevent the body from meeting its operational responsibilities) plus the body's choice to petition, since the agreement duty applies only before proceeding with the petition. The path is an exclusive alternative to the ordinary response and ends at filing; the statute does not say what follows an agreement or the court's ruling. |
| * Extension (B.4): the extra time is available only if the B.4 response is made within five working days, which the model reflects by reaching respond_extended only from a timely respond. The text says 'an additional seven work days' without saying whether they run from the end of the five-day period or from the B.4 response; the timer is a boundary event on respond_extended, so it runs from the B.4 response, which can be shorter than seven work days counted from the end of the five-day period. Criminal investigative files (§ 2.2-3706.1) get 60 work days instead; the timer shows only the seven-day figure. | * Extension (B.4): the extra time is available only if the B.4 response is made within five working days, which the model reflects by reaching respond_extended only from a timely respond. The text says 'an additional seven work days' without saying whether they run from the end of the five-day period or from the B.4 response; the timer is a boundary event on respond_extended, so it runs from the B.4 response, which can be shorter than seven work days counted from the end of the five-day period. Criminal investigative files (§ 2.2-3706.1) get 60 work days instead; the timer shows only the seven-day figure. |
| * Subsection F's opening exception for scholastic records under § 2.2-3705.4 A 1 qualifies the permission to make charges; the text does not say whether the later duty to notify the requester of charges before a search still applies to such requests, so notify_charges is shown without a condition. | * Subsection F's opening exception for scholastic records under § 2.2-3705.4 A 1 qualifies the permission to make charges; the text does not say whether the later duty to notify the requester of charges before a search still applies to such requests, so notify_charges is shown without a condition. |
| * No new record need be created (D), electronic records must be produced in a medium the body regularly uses (G), and a body that transferred records for storage remains their custodian (J); these shape the response but are not separate steps. | * No new record need be created (D), electronic records must be produced in a medium the body regularly uses (G), and a body that transferred records for storage remains their custodian (J); these shape the response but are not separate steps. |
| * The first response and the B.4 extended response rejoin as exclusive merges: supply and no_records_released are each modelled once and reached from whichever response was given (join 'any'); both missed deadlines lead to the single deemed_denied end state. no_records_released cites B.1 but also covers the B.3 not-found response. | * The first response and the B.4 extended response rejoin as exclusive merges: supply and no_records_released are each modelled once and reached from whichever response was given (join 'any'); both missed deadlines lead to the single deemed_denied end state. no_records_released cites B.1 but also covers the B.3 not-found response. |
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| | ===== Court decisions citing this law ===== |
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| | //Found with [[https://www.courtlistener.com|CourtListener]] (Free Law Project): opinions in the state's appellate courts whose text cites these sections. Listed for research; not every citing case construes the section.// |
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| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2959683/department-of-corrections-v-surovell/|Department of Corrections v. Surovell]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2015, 776 S.E.2d 579; 290 Va. 255; 2015 Va. LEXIS 107) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4404754/daily-press-llc-v-office-of-the-exec-secy-of-the-supreme-court-of-va/|Daily Press, LLC v. Office of the Exec. Sec'y of the Supreme Court of Va.]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2017, 800 S.E.2d 822; 45 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1953; 293 Va. 551; 2017 WL 2806367; 2017 Va. LEXIS 98) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1058812/bland-v-virginia-state-university/|Bland v. Virginia State University]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2006, 630 S.E.2d 525; 272 Va. 198; 2006 Va. LEXIS 55) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1057981/christian-v-state-corp-comn/|Christian v. STATE CORP. COM'N]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2011, 718 S.E.2d 767; 282 Va. 392; 2011 Va. LEXIS 217) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1059274/globe-newspaper-co-v-commonwealth/|Globe Newspaper Co. v. Commonwealth]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2002, 570 S.E.2d 809; 264 Va. 622; 31 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1312; 2002 Va. LEXIS 156) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1058606/fenter-v-norfolk-airport-authority/|Fenter v. Norfolk Airport Authority]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2007, 649 S.E.2d 704; 274 Va. 524; 2007 Va. LEXIS 102) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10401324/commonwealth-of-virginia-v-heather-sawyer/|Commonwealth of Virginia v. Heather Sawyer]] (Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2025) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10363453/thomas-a-blackstock-jr-v-virginia-department-of-transportation/|Thomas A. Blackstock, Jr. v. Virginia Department of Transportation]] (Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2025) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10079174/matthew-keil-v-jim-osullivan-etc/|Matthew Keil v. Jim O'Sullivan, etc.]] (Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2024) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10021335/citizens-for-faquier-county-v-town-of-warrenton-virginia/|Citizens for Faquier County v. Town of Warrenton, Virginia]] (Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2024) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/8404410/hawkins-v-town-of-south-hill/|Hawkins v. Town of South Hill]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2022) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4686267/transparent-gmu-v-george-mason-university/|Transparent GMU v. George Mason University]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2019) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4570552/bergano-v-city-of-virginia-beach/|Bergano v. City of Virginia Beach]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2018, 821 S.E.2d 319) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4423099/va-educ-assn-v-commonwealth/|Va. Educ. Ass'n v. Commonwealth]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2017, 803 S.E.2d 320) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4423899/va-education-assn-v-davison-corrected/|Va. Education Assn. v. Davison (Corrected)]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2017) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/3150557/department-of-corrections-v-surovell/|Department of Corrections v. Surovell]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2015) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2670491/american-tradition-inst-v-rector-and-visitors/|American Tradition Inst. v. Rector and Visitors]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2014) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
| | * [[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1057779/harmon-v-ewing-order/|Harmon v. Ewing (ORDER)]] (Supreme Court of Virginia, 2013) — cites § 2.2-3704 |
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| ===== Checks ===== | ===== Checks ===== |
| ===== Local answers ===== | ===== Local answers ===== |
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| * [[lexflow:va:charlottesville|City of Charlottesville]] | * [[lexflow:va:charlottesville:records|City of Charlottesville]] |
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| ← [[lexflow:start|lexflow models]] | ← [[lexflow:va|Virginia]] · [[lexflow:start|lexflow models]] |
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