How does NARA determine estimated completion dates for FOIA requests?
36 C.F.R. § 1250.27
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) When you ask for an estimated completion date for records that do not require consultation with another agency, we estimate the completion date on the basis of our reasonable judgment at that point as to how long it will take to complete the request. Given the uncertainty inherent in establishing any estimate, the estimated completion date may be subject to change at any time.
(b) When you ask for an estimated completion date for records that must be reviewed by another agency, our estimate is also based on information from the other agency:
(1) When we send documents for consultation to another agency, we ask the agency to provide an estimated completion date for its portion of the processing.
(2) We keep the consulting agency's estimated completion date for its portion of the processing in the request file and use it in addition to our own processing time estimate to provide you with an overall estimated completion date.
(3) If the consulted agency or agencies do not provide us with an estimated completion date, we provide you with an estimate based on our general experience working with the agency or agencies and the types and volumes of records at issue.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-36.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026