FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. If you ask Fairfax County for government records, its annual report suggests you could hear back in two days. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have the records in hand.
The county reports an average response time of two days for public-records requests. What it doesn’t make clear is whether that measures the first response to a request or the time it takes to provide the documents.
Zark News asked the county to explain. Its public-records office did not clarify when the clock stops or whether the two-day average is measured in calendar days or business days.
The distinction matters. Under Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act, government agencies generally must respond to records requests within five working days, although the law allows extensions in certain circumstances. An initial response does not always mean the requested records have been delivered.
More requests, fewer fees
Fairfax County recorded 21,172 public-records requests during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, about 15% more than the previous year’s 18,353.
That was the highest total in the five years covered by the county’s annual report.
The county confirmed that its method for counting requests had not changed. It did not explain what drove the increase.
The figures show more requests were recorded, but they do not establish that more individual people sought records. One person can submit multiple requests.
The county also reported waiving fees for 15,727 requests, roughly three out of every four received.
Under county policy, officials may consider waiving fees when the estimated cost of fulfilling a request is $50 or less. That does not mean every request below $50 automatically qualifies.
Police records account for half the requests
The Fairfax County Police Department accounted for 10,695 requests, just over half the countywide total.
Police said that number includes Freedom of Information Act requests, law-enforcement records requests and requests handled through its Central Records operation.
The county’s figures also leave another question unresolved.
Its report places 12% of requests in a category labeled “Other.”
When Zark News asked what that meant, the county referred to requesters who lived outside Virginia or had not provided an address. But that explanation did not establish what happened to those requests, whether records were released, withheld or handled another way.
Public-records laws allow residents and journalists to examine how government agencies make decisions, spend money and carry out their responsibilities.
Fairfax’s annual report provides a picture of how many requests the county receives and how often it waives fees. What remains unclear is how quickly requesters actually obtain the information they seek.
Zark News has asked the county for a breakdown of how long requests took before the records were actually delivered, with a reply due by Nov. 12, and will update this story when the county responds.
