FOIA and Public Records
Axcess1 Virginia
FOIA and Public Records management, built around VFOIA
Built around your law — not around generic case management.
Built around your law — not around generic case management
Many case-management products ask a public body to adapt its process to the software. Axcess1 is configured around the legislation, the procedures, the vocabulary and the reporting obligations of each jurisdiction. An organization chooses its Act once; every screen, deadline, letter and report then follows it.
Generic case management
The organization adapts to the software.
Axcess1
The software follows the legislation and the way government works.
Legislation supported
Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3700 et seq.)
| What the Act requires | As configured in Axcess1 |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | "Public body" in § 2.2-3701: any legislative body, authority, board, bureau, commission, district or agency of the Commonwealth or of any political subdivision, including counties, cities and towns, school boards and planning commissions; governing boards of public institutions of higher education; and other organizations supported wholly or principally by public funds. Records are open to citizens of the Commonwealth and to media representatives (§ 2.2-3704(A)). Not covered: see § 2.2-3703. |
| Time limit to respond | 5 working days (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704(B)). The due date is calculated when the request is entered, with the holidays of the jurisdiction. |
| Extensions | Up to 7 working days. If it is not practically possible to provide the records or determine whether they are available within the 5 working days, a written response made within those 5 days and stating the conditions gives 7 additional work days (60 work days for criminal investigative files under § 2.2-3706.1). For an extraordinary volume of records or an extraordinarily lengthy search, the public body may petition the court for more time after reasonable efforts to agree with the requester (§ 2.2-3704(C)). (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704(B)(4)) |
| No answer in time | Treated as a refusal (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704(E)); overdue requests are flagged. |
| Third parties | The Act sets no formal notice; consultations are recorded and tracked on the request. |
| Transfer to another body | Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704(B)(3) (records not found: the response gives contact information for another public body known to have them), within 5 days |
| Decision and reasons | The decision letter gives the reasons, the provision relied on and the right of review (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704(B)(1)-(2); § 2.2-3704.01). |
| Fees | No application fee. Amounts in U.S. dollars (USD). Reasonable charges not exceeding the actual cost of accessing, duplicating, supplying or searching for the records; no general overhead. Before searching, the requester is told in writing that charges may apply and asked whether a cost estimate is wanted; the response period is tolled while the estimate awaits an answer (withdrawn after 30 days). A deposit may be required when charges are likely to exceed $200 (§ 2.2-3704(H)). |
| Review and complaints | the general district court or circuit court (petition for mandamus or injunction, § 2.2-3713) (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3713(A), (C)) |
Loaded for this Act
- 42 provisions (exemptions, exceptions and exclusions) ready to cite on a redaction, each with its section number.
- Request types: Virginia FOIA records request (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704).
- Statutory steps on the timeline: Written response that a reply is not practically possible within 5 working days, § 2.2-3704(B)(4) (7 additional work days); Written response for criminal investigative files under § 2.2-3706.1, § 2.2-3704(B)(4) (60 additional work days); Petition to the court for additional time, § 2.2-3704(C) (extraordinary volume or extraordinarily lengthy search; after reasonable efforts to agree with the requester) — enter the time the court allows; Cost estimate sent to the requester, § 2.2-3704(F) (response period tolled until the requester answers; request deemed withdrawn after 30 days without a response); Deposit required — charges likely to exceed $200, § 2.2-3704(H) (response period tolled until the requester answers); Payment required of amounts owed for previous requests unpaid 30 days or more after billing, before processing, § 2.2-3704(I); Records could not be found or do not exist, § 2.2-3704(B)(3) (response gives contact information for another public body known to have them); Reasonable efforts to notify the victim (or family, parent or guardian) before disclosing a criminal investigative file, § 2.2-3706.1(F)….
Checked against the published text on 2026-10-03. Virginia Law (Legislative Information System) — Code of Virginia § 2.2-3700, Short title; policy (Virginia Freedom of Information Act) · Virginia Law — § 2.2-3700 (short title; policy), § 2.2-3701 (definitions), § 2.2-3703 (inapplicability) · Virginia Law — § 2.2-3704, Public records to be open to inspection; procedure for requesting records and responding to request; charges
Legislation-to-feature matrix
| Legislative requirement | Axcess1 support |
|---|---|
| Statutory deadline | 5 working days (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704(B)): calculated automatically for each request; overdue and upcoming requests on the dashboard. |
| Extensions and holds | Recorded as events that move the due date, each tied to its section of the Act. |
| Exemptions and exclusions | The provisions of VFOIA in the redaction editor, each with its section number. |
| Third parties and consultations | Notices, consultation packages and their due dates tracked on the request. |
| Fees | Fee notices and payments recorded on the request. |
| Reviews, appeals and complaints | Recorded on the request timeline with their dates and outcome. |
| Redaction | Done by the analyst in the built-in editor; optional AI suggestions that the analyst accepts or rejects. |
| Decision letters | Generated from templates for this Act, with the provisions cited. |
| Release | A release package built from the reviewed records; redactions are permanent in the released file. |
| Annual statistics | Annual access statistics for the period, with each figure traceable to its requests. |
| Audit trail | Every action on a request is recorded with the user and the time. |
From request to release
1Receive and validate
The request is entered with its type, requester and date received; a number is issued from your own numbering pattern.
2Calculate the deadline
The due date follows the Act: 5 working days (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704(B)). Holds and extensions move it and are recorded.
3Assign and search
The request is assigned to an officer; the units holding records are tasked and their answers tracked.
4Collect and review
Records are uploaded (PDF, Office files, scans with text recognition) and reviewed page by page.
5Apply the provisions and redact
The analyst marks a passage and picks the provision of this Act; the released copy shows the section relied on.
6Consult
Consultation packages are produced per party, with their due dates.
7Approve
The response goes to the approver's inbox for review and signature.
8Release
The release package and the decision letter are generated from the request.
9Report
Requests, processing times, decisions and provisions invoked are counted for the period you choose.
Agentic AI across the lifecycle
AI is switched off until your administrator turns it on, one capability at a time. AI assists. Authorized officials decide.
Intake agent
Proposes a new request from a message, the portal or a drop folder; an officer confirms it.
Document intelligence
Summarizes and classifies the records and finds the people and organizations named in them.
Responsiveness agent
Suggests which records answer the request.
Exemption assist
Proposes provisions of VFOIA with reasons; redaction candidates appear in the editor.
Consultation agent
Suggests who should be consulted and on which pages.
Quality assurance agent
Checks a package a second time before release.
Deadline watch
Lists the requests at risk of running late.
Copilot
Answers questions about a request, citing the records it used.
Migration
Case history, requesters and documents are brought over from the system you use today, so you do not start from an empty database.
Deployment
Hosted by SoftSim in Canada, on your own private cloud or servers, or standalone on a PC or Mac.
Security
Each organization's records are separate, access is controlled by role and every action is recorded. Run on your own servers, your records never leave your premises.
Try it free for 30 days
One licence, the full product, no obligation. Or see it first in a 30-minute demonstration.
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Axcess1 supports configurable workflows designed around the applicable legislation. Government organizations remain responsible for legal interpretation and statutory decisions. Summaries of the legislation are paraphrases prepared from the published text; they are not legal advice.