Campbell County, VA public records: how to make a FOIA request

Send the request to the office holding the record

These are public professional contacts listed by the responsible agencies. Recheck the linked directory if a contact changes. A county request does not automatically reach the school division or Sheriff’s Office.

Ask for documents that already exist

The county’s rights-and-responsibilities policy describes requests for existing records, rather than requiring staff to create a new explanation. Start with the decision, project or transaction you want to understand. Identify a document type and a manageable date range.

For example, a question about what a grant paid for can become a request for the award notice, payment ledger and invoices for that grant. A question about a board decision can become a request for the adopted resolution and approved minutes. These are examples of how to narrow a request; they do not establish that each suggested record exists or that every part is releasable.

Check the county agenda archive first. Downloading an already-posted record may resolve the question without a separate request.

A practical request example

Adapt this example to the records you need:

“I request electronic copies of the adopted resolution and approved meeting minutes documenting the Board of Supervisors’ October 6, 2026 consideration of Altavista Combined School bond financing. Please identify any responsive records that cannot be located or are withheld, and provide the applicable legal basis for withholding. Before work that incurs charges, please send an estimated cost. Please contact me if the scope needs clarification.”

Add your name, legal address and a way to reply. The county procedure accepts requests through several channels, including email, phone, in person and its online form; a special form is not the only route. Keep a copy of what you submitted and any acknowledgment.

Understand the response clock and fees

Under Virginia Code §2.2-3704, access rights extend to Virginia citizens and the specified media representatives. A request must identify records reasonably specifically. The ordinary response period is five working days, which is a deadline for a qualifying response, not an unconditional promise to release every record.

The statute allows written withholding with legal grounds, partial production, a notice that records cannot be found or do not exist, and a properly explained extension. The usual extension is seven additional working days; the statute specifies a separate 60-working-day extension for the referenced criminal-investigative-file requests. Extraordinary requests can involve court-approved additional time.

Reasonable actual costs may apply. Ask for an estimate. The response clock can pause while an estimate awaits your response; a request can be treated as withdrawn after 30 days without that response. A deposit may be required when anticipated charges exceed $200. Consult the linked statute for the conditions rather than treating these figures as a flat fee or a universal timetable.

Use the response to refine the next step

Save the records and the response together. If a document is withheld, note the cited provision and the described subject matter. If the agency reports that no record exists, distinguish that response from a denial based on an exemption. If another office is identified, direct the next request there and retain the correspondence.

For your own child’s education records, use the separate access routes described in our student privacy guide. For specific public-spending examples, see the Altavista financing report, sheriff drone report and VSTOP funding report. The government directory and county hub connect these records to other Campbell coverage.

To follow a discussion before requesting records, use the meeting participation guide. The CCUSA report and broadband report identify specific infrastructure records and explain their limits.

The zoning and development guide identifies useful case records. Our Valley Link report distinguishes a proposed resolution from final action, while the Depot Road report follows a documented withdrawal.

The budget and public-spending guide identifies useful appropriation, contract and expenditure records. Our adopted-budget report and carryover report distinguish planned amounts and staff recommendations from later actions and payments.

The road-service and project-records guide identifies the separate VDOT request route. Our Route 29 report and Rustburg school-access report identify project materials and the later decisions still needed.

The waste and recycling guide identifies useful service, policy and spending records. Our recycling report distinguishes equipment installation from verified program costs and results.