# 2026-15782: Access Board Overhauls FOIA Rules for Digital Age Compliance 2026-15782, Revision of Freedom of Information Act Regulations, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board published 2026-08-04, effective Submit comments by September 3, 2026. Comments received by mail will be considered timely if they are postmarked on or before that date. The electronic Federal Docket Management System (https:// www.regulations.gov) will accept comments until Midnight Eastern Time at the end of that day.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15782 - As of: 2026-08-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-15782 - Title: Revision of Freedom of Information Act Regulations - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board - Citation: 91 FR 49377 - Published: 2026-08-04 - Effective: Submit comments by September 3, 2026. Comments received by mail will be considered timely if they are postmarked on or before that date. The electronic Federal Docket Management System (https:// www.regulations.gov) will accept comments until Midnight Eastern Time at the end of that day. - Comments close: 2026-09-03 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: 3014-AA51 - Last updated: 2026-08-11 ## In one line Access Board Overhauls FOIA Rules for Digital Age Compliance ## Summary The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board or Board) is issuing this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to update its regulations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Board proposes to replace its existing FOIA regulations with this proposed rule, which streamlines the language of several procedural provisions; updates procedures consistent with current technology; incorporates changes required by amendments to the FOIA under the OPEN Government Act of 2007 and the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, and developments in case law; and conforms to Department of Justice guidelines for agency FOIA regulations. ## Effects PRIA read - New FOIA Fee Schedule (GS-based): cost, medium. The Access Board replaces fixed dollar search and review fees with rates based on federal pay grades: searches/reviews by clerical staff charged at GS-9/step 5, professional/managerial at GS-14/step 5, and senior executives/Board members at EX-Level IV (with basic pay plus 16% for benefits). The ag… - Records Posted on Agency Website: benefit, low. Records that the FOIA requires to be made available for public inspection in electronic format may be accessed on the Access Board's website at www.access-board.gov. This proactive disclosure means certain records will be available online without a FOIA request. - Electronic FOIA Submission and Contact: benefit, low. You may submit FOIA requests in writing by emailing FOIA@access-board.gov, by using FOIA.gov, or by mail to the agency's FOIA Officer at 1331 F Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004. The agency will communicate primarily by email and telephone and will assign a tracking number if processing w… - Expedited Processing Rules and Timing: benefit, medium. The Access Board will grant expedited processing when a requester shows a "compelling need" as defined in 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(E)(v) (for example, imminent threat to life or urgency to inform the public), and will notify a requester of its decision on expedited processing within 10 calendar days of t… - Rules for Confidential Commercial Information: mixed, medium. If you submit commercial or financial information you want protected under FOIA Exemption 4, you must mark it in good faith when submitted; those designations expire 10 years after submission unless you justify a longer period. The agency will notify submitters when such information is requested, a… - 90-Day Administrative Appeal Deadline: cost, low. If the agency denies your FOIA request in whole or in part, you must file a written administrative appeal postmarked or transmitted within 90 calendar days after the date of the response to be timely. Appeals may be sent to FOIA@access-board.gov or by mail to the Chief FOIA Officer at the agency ad… - Agency Preservation of FOIA Records: benefit, low. The Access Board will preserve all correspondence and copies of records related to FOIA requests until disposition authorized under Federal law and will not dispose of records while they are the subject of a pending request, appeal, or lawsuit under FOIA. ## Related documents - [2026-19448](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19448): Revision of Freedom of Information Act Regulations, 2026-09-23 - [2026-10508](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-10508): Proposed Renewal of Information Collection; OMB Control Number 3014-0012, Online Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Complaint Form, 2026-05-27 - [2026-16773](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16773): Proposed Renewal of Information Collection; OMB Control Number 3014-2012; Online Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Complaint Form, 2026-08-18 - [2026-03199](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03199): Accessibility Standards for Universal Changing Stations, 2026-02-18 - [2025-21884](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21884): Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of Proposed Information Collection; Online Training Request Form for OMB Review, 2025-12-04 - [2025-21836](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21836): Performance Review Board Membership, 2025-12-03 ## Sources - [2026-15782 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/04/2026-15782/revision-of-freedom-of-information-act-regulations) - [2026-15782 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-04/pdf/2026-15782.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-15777, Loans to Executive Officers, Directors, and Principal Shareholders of Member Ba…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15777) - [Next: 2026-15824, Petition for Rulemaking of Matheus Garcia Pereira](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15824) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15782 (as of 2026-08-11).