If your request is overly broad or hard to understand, the agency can deny your request. Ohio Revised Code 149.43 (B)(2) states:

“If a requester makes an ambiguous or overly broad request or has difficulty in making a request for copies or inspection of public records under this section such that the public office or the person responsible for the requested public Record cannot reasonably identify what public records are being requested, the public office or the person responsible for the requested public Record may deny the request but shall provide the requester with an opportunity to revise the request by informing the requester of the manner in which records are maintained by the public office and accessed in the ordinary course of the public office’s or person’s duties.”

Before making a request, it’s important to organize and prioritize the information you want from the public agency and to be clear in your request about what Record(s) you’re seeking.