Request NYS Department of Health Records Through The New York State Freedom of Information Law

The Freedom of Information Law ("FOIL"), Article 6 (Sections 84-90) of the NYS Public Officers Law, provides the public right to access records maintained by government agencies with certain exceptions.

"Record" means any information kept, held, filed, produced or reproduced by, with, or for this agency, in any physical form whatsoever including, but not limited to, reports, statements, examinations, memoranda, opinions, folders, files, books, manuals, pamphlets, forms, papers, designs, drawings, maps, photos, letters, microfilms, computer tapes or disks, rules, regulations or codes.

Please note, copies of birth, death, marriage and dissolution of marriage certificates are not available under FOIL. For information about obtaining these records visit Birth, Death, Marriage & Divorce Records or contact the Vital Records section of the New York State Department of Health, Vital Records, 800 N. Pearl St., Albany, NY 12204. Please be advised that birth and death certificates for events that occurred within the five boroughs of New York City are not on file with the New York State Department of Health and must be obtained from the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Office of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street, CN-4, Room 133, New York, NY 10013 or New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. For marriage licenses issued within the five boroughs NYC the address is: Office of the City Clerk, 141 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013 or NYC Office of the City Clerk

Request Records

Notice:

In light of New York State’s reduction in workforce as part of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be delays in response to FOIL requests. Thank you for your patience during this extraordinary time.

  • Submit a request online:
    SUBMIT A FOIL REQUEST
  • Mail a written request to:
    Records Access Office
    New York State Department of Health
    Corning Tower, Room 2364
    Albany, New York 12237-0044
  • E-mail a written request to:
    foil@health.ny.gov
  • Fax a written request to: (518) 486-9144
  • Submit a request for records in person:
    The Department of Health's main offices are located in the Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York. Upon entering the main entrance of the building, advise Security Staff that you would like to request records. Security Staff will contact the Records Access Office, and a staff member will provide assistance. Please be advised records require review prior to disclosure. As a result, documents and records will not be immediately available.

FOIL Process

Within five business days of the receipt of a written request for a record reasonably described, we will send you a letter either: making such record available; denying such request in writing; or furnishing a written acknowledgment of the receipt of such request. If you have not received a letter within five business days, please contact us at (518) 474-8734 or foil@health.ny.gov.

An acknowledgment letter will provide you with an estimate of when the records you request will be available, which shall be reasonable under the circumstances of the request. This date is determined by the number of documents you request, their format, their availability, the time it takes to redact any information that cannot be disclosed pursuant to FOIL, the time it takes to assemble the documents, and other factors.

If the records you request require a fee to be paid, you will be notified prior to the records being released to you. Unless a different fee is otherwise prescribed by statute, Public Officers Law §87(1) authorizes an agency to charge a fee of 25¢ per copy for copies of records up 9"x 14", or the actual cost of reproducing a record. In determining the actual cost of producing a record, an agency may include only:

  • an amount equal to the hourly salary attributed to the lowest paid agency employee who has the necessary skill required to prepare the requested record(s), if at least two hours of agency employee time is needed to prepare a copy of the record(s) requested;
  • the actual cost of the storage devices or media provided to the person making the request in complying with such request; and
  • the actual cost to the agency of engaging an outside professional service to prepare a copy of a record, but only when an agency's information technology equipment is inadequate to prepare a copy, if such service is used to prepare the copy.

Once the requested records are prepared, you may receive the records via email, fax, paper, CD/DVD, or USB. Records are available for inspection, by appointment, on business days between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the Records Access Office, Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York. You may schedule an appointment for in-person inspection of records by calling (518) 474-8734.

Right to Appeal

Under provisions of the Public Officers Law you may appeal a FOIL determination. If you desire to submit such an appeal, you must do so within 30 days of the written response to your FOIL request. Please include a copy of the original request for records and a copy of the FOIL response letter you received along with your appeal letter to:

  • Records Access Appeals Officer
    New York State Department of Health
    Corning Tower, Room 2364
    Albany, New York 12237-0044
    Fax: (518) 486-9144
    foil@health.ny.gov

You will be informed in writing of the decision within ten business days of our receipt of such an appeal. Please indicate the FOIL Request Number when corresponding on this subject.

Subject Matter List

The following is a current list of records, by subject matter, that are maintained by this agency. Some of the listed records may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law.

Helpful Tips

For more information about FOIL, please visit the New York State Committee on Open Government's website.

When submitting a FOIL request:

  • Be as specific as possible in describing the requested records. Include relevant dates, names, descriptions, etc. See suggested language for a FOIL request from the Committee on Open Government.
  • If records are available, specify how you want them sent, i.e., via US mail, e-mail or fax. We may choose to send the records by U.S. mail, if you have requested a large volume of records, for security or other important reasons. We will notify you of any charge for reproducing such records before they are sent to you.
  • Include your e-mail, mailing address and fax number, as well as a telephone number where you can be reached during business hours, if it is necessary to clarify your request.
  • Please note that the agency is not required to create a new record in response to FOIL requests.
  • Explore Health Data NY for publicly available datasets that have been published online in a readily accessible and downloadable format at: https://www.health.data.ny.gov/