The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 5 U.S.C. Section 552, provides that any person has a right to obtain access to Federal agency records, except for those records that are protected from disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement exclusions.

You do not need to submit a FOIA request to obtain public records. If you are seeking nonpublic records, you must make a FOIA request in writing. You may fax (202) 418-5543 or mail your request, or submit our electronic form. Your request should include:

• a description of the records you are seeking, as clear and precise as possible
• your name, address, and daytime telephone number
• an agreement to pay the applicable fees, a specific fee limit you do not want to exceed, or a justification to support a fee waiver.

Write "Freedom of Information Act Request" on the envelope and address it to:

Eileen A. Donovan
Assistant Secretary for FOIA Matters
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Three Lafayette Centre
1155 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20581

Wherever possible, the records requested will be furnished to you within 20 working days. If a request presents unusual circumstances—such as a large volume of material sought—you will be notified and offered an opportunity to limit the scope of your request in order to facilitate it’s processing.

If some information must be deleted from a record before the record is released, or if an entire document is withheld, you will be informed of the amount of material that has not been released to you. You may file an appeal to obtain access to any withheld material.

For further information, please see the Guide to CFTC Information, or contact the CFTC's FOIA Compliance Office at (202) 418-5105.