
General public enquiries
Mapping information for topics such as property boundaries, historical map archives, and mapping product support.
See our previous responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and find out how to submit new ones
You have the right to access information held by public bodies like us that is not routinely available from other sources. This is laid out in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
This covers our recorded information held on computers, emails, reports, databases, photographs, or even sound and video recordings.
We take our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004 seriously.
We haven’t published every request we have received, since many are of a similar nature. In exceptional circumstances (for instance, where we are involved in an ongoing legal dispute with the requester) we may not publish certain responses. We do not publish personal data of the requestor.
See our previous responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
Did you know?
You can find information on lots of subjects, such as mapping information, OS historic archives, as well as OS public statistics. You can also contact our customer service team for specific enquiries, including products, services, licences, boundary, and mapping queries. Please browse the following resources before making a new FOI request.
Mapping information for topics such as property boundaries, historical map archives, and mapping product support.
Guidance on getting in touch with OS about specific topics, including mapping enquiries or errors, and further support for PSGA members and Licensed Partners.
See our latest and previous annual reports and accounts. Details include our strategic report, our governance, and financial statements.
Our latest Ordnance Survey announcements, guidance on media licensing, and how to submit press enquiries.
Find all the information you need about OS via our publication scheme: what we do, what we spend and how, and our responsibilities.
Contact us directly to speak to our friendly customer service team.
You must make your request in writing via one of the following methods:
Please ensure to:
The Information Commissioner’s Office has a useful guide: How to access information from a public body, which provides useful information to consider when making a request.
Most requests for information are free of charge. However, if we estimate the cost of locating, retrieving, and extracting the information will take more than 18 working hours, your request could be chargeable.
In this case, we will endeavour to agree a way forward to bring the request below 18 hours. If this isn't possible, the request will be refused on grounds of disproportionate cost, or we will issue a Fees Notice in accordance with the Act.
In most cases we shall waive our right to charge for disbursements such as printing, photocopying, and postage costs. If we do decide to charge for disbursements a Fees Notice will be issued.
You will have three months in which to pay the fee. The 20 working days allowed for OS to respond to requests will not begin until the fee is paid.
If you do not agree with our decision on charging, you can ask the Information Commissioner to intervene.
Please note that information supplied under the Freedom of Information Act may be subject to Crown Copyright. As such, re-use may require a licence for which a separate fee may be charged. If you have any questions about permitted use of the information we supply, please contact us using the form below.
If you are unhappy with our response to a request you have made under the Freedom of Information Act or Environmental Information Regulations, you have the right to request an internal review of the decision.
You may send your complaint via the following methods:
An independent Ordnance Survey official (the Internal Review Officer), who has not been involved with your request, will be asked to undertake an internal review of the process to determine whether this has been followed in line with the FOIA or EIR.
You may request an internal review within two months of receipt of our final response to your FOI request, or within 40 working days of receipt of our final response to your EIR request.
The Internal Review Officer will inform you of the outcome of the internal review, normally within 20 working days, but exceptionally within 40 working days, in line with the Information Commissioner’s guidance. The Internal Review Officer will either uphold the original decision, provide an additional explanation of the exemption/exception applied, or release further information if it is considered appropriate to do so.
Please quote your original reference on all correspondence.
If you remain dissatisfied, following the outcome of the internal review, you may raise an appeal with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), within three months of receiving our response to the request you made under the Freedom of Information Act or Environmental Information Regulations.
We will advise you within 20 working days if we hold the information you have requested and can release it.
The Freedom of Information Act allows us, in exceptional cases, to extend the 20 working day response time where we are exempting information in accordance with a qualified exemption. This allows us to fully consider where the public interest lies.
If your requested information falls within categories specified in the Act, such as personal data about individual employees, we may withhold it.
Environmental Information Regulations give you the right to access environmental information held by us, a public authority.
Under the “Right of Access of the Data Subject”, you are entitled to request a copy of the information we are processing about you.