Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Records Requests
The Connecticut Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to obtain records and attend meetings of all public agencies with certain exceptions.
Self-service electronic information searches are available for many documents and datasets without the wait time for an agency FOIA search. DEEP provides data through the agency’s Connecticut Open Data Portal, and documents through the agency’s Document Online Search Portal. The agency is continuing its scanning project to provide information available electronically.
Step 1 in your document search is to explore the datasets via the Connecticut Open Data Portal and the DEEP Document Online Search Portal
Many datasets concerning the environment and natural resources category can be found within the CT Open Data portal. These datasets can be searched, sorted, tabulated, and downloaded by hitting the Actions button, then Query Data. The datasets only provide data from DEEP databases. Documents can be located on DEEP’s Document Online Search Portal. Available information is provided in the following table for easy access.
| LOCATION OF DATA OR DOCUMENT | TYPE OF DATA OR DOCUMENT |
| SPILLS | |
| Dataset on CT Open Data portal | Spill Incidents Reported to DEEP from January 1, 1996 to present |
| DEEP Document Online Search Portal | Spill Reports and associated documents -Variety of documents related to releases reported to DEEP for all years; Releases Reported to CT DEEP July 1, 2022 to Present. “Emergency Incident Field Reports” |
| CONTAMINATED SITES & REMEDIATION | |
| Dataset on CT Open Data portal | Contaminated or Potentially Contaminated Sites List- This will indicate whether the Remediation Division has information on your site and the Remediation ID, Site Name, and Address under which information was filed. You can then use that information to find the site in the Document Search Portal. List of Contaminated or Potentially Contaminated Sites - SASU Case Management System | Connecticut Data |
| DEEP Document Online Search Portal Watch this video to start your online search and learn how to use the search portal - Online Search Portal Demonstration (Recorded October 2019 - Remediation Roundtable Meeting) |
Remediation Division related documents -search using information from Open Data. |
| HAZARDOUS WASTE MANIFESTS | |
| Dataset on CT Open Data portal | Hazardous Waste Manifest Portal Metadata All years of manifests, 1981 – present. For additional resources contact the Environmental Protection Agency. |
| DEEP Document Online Search Portal |
Hazardous Waste Manifests - Recommend using Open Data directly above as it includes a description of the dataset and the manifest documents. |
| TANKS | |
| Dataset on CT Open Data portal | Registered Underground Storage Tanks (UST) and Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST) |
| DEEP Document Online Search Portal |
UST and LUST related documents – search using information from Open Data. Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program (LUST) documents: more coming soon as the division is in the process of scanning all paper records |
| RADIATION | |
| Dataset on CT Open Data portal | Environmental Monitoring Results for Radioactivity: Air Samples |
Step 2 in your document search is visit the DEEP Records Center
The second step in your document search is to review agency paper documents in the DEEP Records Center (public file room). The Records Center’s hours of operation are: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - 9:00 am to 11:30 am and 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Public access closes for the day at 4:00 pm.
To schedule an appointment: The DEEP Records Center is now accepting appointments online. This will guarantee your place in line. Upon booking your appointment, you will be required to submit a File Request Form to DEEP.RecordsCenter@ct.gov at least 24 hours prior to your appointment so that records center staff can prepare your files ahead of time or even provide them electronically as much as possible. Requests will be fulfilled in the order in which they are received.
- If you have tried these options and have not located any information on the property or site on which you are interested, it is likely we do not have any records. If further due diligence is required, however, you might want to consider submitting a Freedom of Information Act request.
FOIA Requests
If you have exhausted your search through the DEEP Records Center, the DEEP online search portal and the various online documents and datasets on our website, your third and final step in your search would be to submit a FOIA request.
Freedom of Information Requests for documents from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act should be made by accessing the GovQA Web App. In situations where someone has limited internet access, a request can be submitted by alternative means by contacting DEEP’s FOIA Administrator by written correspondence, email, or telephone as follows:
Brenda Antuna
FOIA Administrator
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
79 Elm Street, 3rd Floor
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-424-3320
All requests submitted to the agency by reporters or other members of the media will be treated as FOIA requests.
Frequently Asked Questions with regard to FOIA
How long does it take to process a FOIA request?
DEEP receives many requests on a daily basis. For each request we must search our files to locate the requested records and determine which, if any, contain privileged information. Your search will be conducted as promptly as possible, but may take 10-12 weeks or longer. Once completed, you will be notified of the number of documents that have been compiled.
Are there any fees related to the FOIA request?
Copying fees are assessed at $ 0.25 per page. If certified copies are requested the fee is $1.00 for the first page and $0.50 for subsequent pages. Documents that currently exist in electronic format will be provided at no cost. Please be advised that if your total cost exceeds $10.00, you will need to pre-pay before documents will be released to you.
I am researching several properties. Can I submit one FOIA request for all of them?
No. Each request can identify only one specific property location. You will need to submit separate requests for each additional property. Note: Please be as specific as possible regarding the type of information you are requesting.
In what format will the requested documents be provided?
Requested documents will only be provided in the format in which they presently exist within the DEEP records.
Can I find out the status of my FOIA request?
You are able to view the status of your request through the GovQA portal, if you submitted your request electronically. If you have submitted your request either by facsimile or written correspondence, please contact the FOIA Administrator to request updated information regarding the status of your FOIA request.
Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission
The mission of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission is “to administer and enforce the provisions of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act, and to thereby ensure citizen access to the records and meetings of public agencies in the State of Connecticut.”
For additional information on the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, go to portal.ct.gov/foi or contact the Commission by phone at (860) 566-5682 or via e-mail at foi@ct.gov.
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Content last updated June 2025