Freedom of Information Act

The City of Sumter recognizes the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (South Carolina Code 30-4-10) enacted by the South Carolina General Assembly that gives every citizen the right to access government meetings, documents, and records. By standardizing the City’s procedures for processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and establishing reasonable fees for such requests, the City will ensure its compliance with FOIA and its intended goal of transparency of City operations and policies.

All requests for information pursuant to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) must be made in writing and submitted in person or by mail, or email to the City of Sumter. To ensure accuracy in the City’s response, all requests should be as descriptive as possible. In accordance with FOIA, the City of Sumter must respond to a written request within ten (10) working days (excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays). A written FOIA request is not required to obtain the following:

• Minutes of meetings for the past six months.
• All reports related to the nature, location, and substance of a crime committed in the last fourteen (14) days.
• Documents identifying individuals confined to any jail or detention center in the past three (3) months (excluding restricted juvenile records).

In order to assist citizens in making FOIA requests, the City of Sumter has developed the attached suggested FOIA Request Form. This form is only intended to ease the process for citizens when making their written FOIA requests and is not a requirement by the city to process any written requests it receives. Refer to the link below for the Fee Schedule outlining reasonable costs that may be incurred by the requesting party during the City of Sumter’s FOIA request processing.

Any questions about the City of Sumter’s FOIA policy should be directed to the Administration Office at 803-436-2500 or email [email protected].

• City of Sumter’s Freedom of Information Act Request Form (PDF)
• City of Sumter’s Freedom of Information Act Fee Schedule (PDF)
• City of Sumter's Police Department FOIA Guidelines (PDF) 

City of Sumter
21 N. Main Street
Sumter, SC 29150
[email protected]