There is no initial fee to make a FOIA request, and in some cases no fees are charged.

The rules that govern FOIA fees charged for requests submitted to FHWA are contained in 49 CFR Part 7. These rules establish standard fees for the cost to search for, review and duplicate records that are requested from FHWA under FOIA. The fees can be reduced or waived for certain categories of requests and under certain circumstances. These rules describe these categories of requesters and the criteria for a fee reduction or waiver. Link to FOIA Reference Guide (short version) | US Department of Transportation.

For fee purposes, FOIA divides requesters into three categories:

1. Commercial use requesters are charged for any search time, document review, and duplication.
2. News media, educational, or scientific requesters are charged for duplication only, after the first 100 pages.
3. All other requesters are charged for search time (after two hours) and duplication (after 100 pages).

When the agency estimates that the search, review, and duplication charges will likely exceed $25, the requester will be notified of the estimated amount of the fees, unless the requester has indicated in advance a willingness to pay fees as high as those anticipated.

Fee Payment: Make check/money order payable to: “Treasurer of the United States" and annotate your payment with the FOIA Control Number.

Please mail all payments for FOIA fees to the following address:

DOT/FHWA
c/o ESC, AMZ-300
PO Box 268865
Oklahoma City, OK 73125

Alternatively, you can pay online at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/.