Twenty-four requests, written and not filedNever sent
Most cities keep a list of what they own and how old it is, and do not publish it. It is a public record, and it comes out when someone asks. The AI wrote the first 24 requests. The owner decided not to file them for a demonstration, so that no public employee is put to work for one.
The requests, as written
Each one cites that state's law, asks only for records that already exist, states the commercial purpose plainly, and asks for the cost before any work is done. The water requests leave out maps, drawings, locations and security details.
A parks request: City of Fresno
A water request: City of Joliet
All 24
At most two governments in a state, the busiest first, each asked about the kind of project it had most of in the last five weeks.
| No. | Government | State | Asked about | Law | How long the agency has |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R001 | City of Joliet | IL | Water | Illinois Freedom of Information Act | Commercial requests: 21 working days (others 5 business days, extendable by 5) |
| R002 | Harris County | TX | Parks | Texas Public Information Act | Promptly; if it cannot be produced within 10 business days the agency must say when |
| R003 | City of Columbus | OH | Water | Ohio Public Records Act | Promptly, within a reasonable period |
| R004 | City of Austin | TX | Water | Texas Public Information Act | Promptly; if it cannot be produced within 10 business days the agency must say when |
| R005 | City of Fresno | CA | Parks | California Public Records Act | 10 calendar days to decide, extendable by 14 |
| R006 | Village of Romeoville | IL | Water | Illinois Freedom of Information Act | Commercial requests: 21 working days (others 5 business days, extendable by 5) |
| R007 | City of Fargo | ND | Water | North Dakota Open Records Law | Reasonable time; no fixed number of days |
| R008 | Pima County | AZ | Water | Arizona Public Records Law | Promptly; no fixed number of days |
| R009 | City of Saint Paul | MN | Water | Minnesota Government Data Practices Act | Promptly; no fixed number of days |
| R010 | City of Visalia | CA | Water | California Public Records Act | 10 calendar days to decide, extendable by 14 |
| R011 | City and County of Denver | CO | Parks | Colorado Open Records Act | Reasonable time, presumed 3 working days |
| R012 | City of Appleton | WI | Water | Wisconsin Public Records Law | As soon as practicable and without delay |
| R013 | City of Racine | WI | Water | Wisconsin Public Records Law | As soon as practicable and without delay |
| R014 | City of Toledo | OH | Water | Ohio Public Records Act | Promptly, within a reasonable period |
| R015 | Lake Havasu City | AZ | Water | Arizona Public Records Law | Promptly; no fixed number of days |
| R016 | Village of Wellington | FL | Water | Florida Public Records Act | Promptly; no fixed number of days |
| R017 | Broward County | FL | Parks | Florida Public Records Act | Promptly; no fixed number of days |
| R018 | City of Allentown | PA | Parks | Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law | 5 business days |
| R019 | City of Olathe | KS | Parks | Kansas Open Records Act | By the end of the third business day |
| R020 | St. Charles Parish | LA | Water | Louisiana Public Records Law | Immediately, or 3 days if the record is in use |
| R021 | Town of Castle Rock | CO | Water | Colorado Open Records Act | Reasonable time, presumed 3 working days |
| R022 | City of Duluth | MN | Parks | Minnesota Government Data Practices Act | Promptly; no fixed number of days |
| R023 | City of Fayetteville | NC | Parks | North Carolina Public Records Law | As promptly as possible; no fixed number of days |
| R024 | City of Mount Vernon | NY | Parks | New York Freedom of Information Law | 5 business days to acknowledge |
The state rules come from one secondary guide. Each statute would be opened and checked before a first request went to that state.
How governments take requests
The AI cannot create accounts, so a request has to be something that can be sent by email. It looked up how 8 of the 24 take requests, and 6 list an email route. 44 of 51 jurisdictions let anyone ask. The ones that limit requests to residents, or whose wording is unclear, are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Virginia.
| Government | State | How it takes requests | What was found |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Joliet | IL | City Clerk is the FOIA officer and takes requests in person, by letter, fax, email or online. The request must carry a name, address and phone number. A third-party guide says Illinois emails must hold the whole request in the body from 2026; unconfirmed. | |
| City of Columbus | OH | Each department answers for its own records. The utilities public records office takes requests by email or phone and says its portal is optional. | |
| City of Austin | TX | Email or portal | The city runs a request portal and also takes requests by email or hand delivery. Austin Water has its own public information contact. No fee to file. Whether the portal needs an account is not stated; use email. |
| City of Fresno | CA | Portal or written request | The city points requesters to its transparency portal. California law treats an emailed or written request as valid. The clerk's email address was not found; confirm on fresno.gov. |
| Harris County | TX | Email, one office at a time | There is no single county records office. Parks belong to the four commissioner precincts, and each takes written requests, so this is four requests. More work than one city; move down the list. |
| City and County of Denver | CO | The City Attorney's Office takes open records requests by email or web form and keeps a directory of department contacts. First hour of research is free. Research time beyond the first hour is billed. | |
| City of Fargo | ND | Web form | The city asks for requests through the contact form on its open records page, or by mail or in person. A past requester was quoted $2,500 for a records search. Our request asks for the fee before any work. |
| Pima County | AZ | County form by email | The county's request form has a box for commercial purpose and says a commercial use fee may apply. Arizona lets an agency charge for commercial use. Ask for the amount first. |
Looked up by web search on November 7, 2026, and not confirmed on each government's own site.
How it would be judged
Send 24. By day 30, at least 8 return a usable file at no charge: keep going and widen. Fewer than 4: stop asking, and run Records on published sources only.
A request that comes back with a fee is dropped unless the owner chooses to pay it. The requester would be a company, because the names of people who file requests are public records too.