Freedom of Information Act

Freedom of Information requests must be printed or typed and include the following information:

  1. the name, mailing address and daytime phone number of the requester
  2. a description of the records being requested

The request can be e-mailed, mailed, faxed or dropped off in person at the PBC front desk. The request should be directed to the PBC’s Freedom of Information Act Officer.

FOIA Officer
Richard J. Daley Center
50 West Washington
Room 200
Chicago, IL 60602

Email: FOIA@pbcchicago.com
Phone: 312/744-3090
Fax: 312/744-8005

The Public Building Commission of Chicago maintains the following categories of records. Many of these records can be viewed using the PBC website.

  • Project Details: Contracts, pay applications, payment and performance bonds, press releases and project photos are available. Search by project name, community area, ward or zip code.
  • Contract Details: Search for awarded contracts by contract number, type, keyword or year. Applicable to both professional services and construction contracts.
  • Board of Commissioners Meetings: This link displays a list of all PBC Board Meetings since 2006. Click a specific date to view that meeting’s agenda, minutes and resolutions.
  • Financial Reports 
  • Annual Reports
  • For paper copies
    The first 50 pages are free. Starting with page 51, black and white letter or legal sized copies are 15 cents per page. Copies in color or a size other than letter or legal will be charged at the cost of copying. If you request color copies or oversized copies, the FOIA Officer will advise you of the cost before copies are made. If there is a copy charge, payments must be received before the copies will be made.
  • Documents Sought in Electronic Format
    The charge will be the cost of the recording medium (CD, USB drive, etc).
  • Documents Sought in Electronic Format which can be emailed to Requester
    No Charge. Please note that about 50 scanned sheets of letter-sized paper is the maximum that can be emailed. If the file is larger, the email cannot be sent.
  • Documents Furnished Without Charge or At A Reduced Charge
    The person requesting the documents may state the specific purpose for the request and indicate that a waiver or reduction of fees is in the public interest. In order to qualify as a request in the public interest, the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) states, “the principal purpose of the request is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety and welfare or the legal rights of the general public and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial benefit.” The FOIA also provides that, “In setting the amount of the waiver or reduction, the public body may take into consideration, the amount of materials requested and the cost of copying them.”