§ 1700.9 Fees. ( a ) Search, review, and reproduction fees will be charged in accordance with the provisions below relating to the schedule, limitations, and category of requester. Applicable fees will be due even if a subsequent search locates no responsive records or some or all of the responsive records must be denied under one or more of the exemptions of the FOIA. Requesters must pay fees by check or money order made payable to the Treasury of the United States. ( 1 ) ODNI will charge fees that recoup the full allowable direct costs it incurs in processing a FOIA request. Fees may be charged for search, review or duplication. As a matter of administrative discretion, ODNI may release records without charge or at a reduced rate whenever ODNI determines that the interest of the U.S. Government would be served. ODNI will use the most efficient and least costly methods to comply with a request. ODNI may charge for search time even if no records are located or the records located are exempt from disclosure. If ODNI fails to comply with the FOIA's time limits in which to respond to a request, it may not charge search fees, unless the circumstances outlined in paragraph (o) of this section are met.
( 2 ) [Reserved]
( b ) With regard to manual searches for records, ODNI will charge the salary rate(s) (calculated as the basic rate of pay plus 16 percent of that basic rate to cover benefits) of the employee(s) performing the search.
( c ) In calculating charges for computer searches for records, ODNI will charge the actual direct cost of providing the service, including the cost of operating computers and other electronic equipment, such as photocopiers and scanners, directly attributable to searching for records potentially responsive to the FOIA request and the portion of the salary of the operators/programmers performing the search.
( d ) ODNI may only charge requesters seeking records for commercial use for time spent reviewing records to determine whether they are exempt from mandatory disclosure. Charges may be assessed only for the initial review—that is, the review undertaken the first time IRRG staff analyzes the applicability of a specific exemption to a particular record or portion of a record. Records or portions of records withheld in full under an exemption that is subsequently determined not to apply may be reviewed again to determine the applicability of other exemptions not previously considered. ODNI may assess the costs for such subsequent review. No charge will be made for review at the administrative appeal stage of exemptions applied at the initial review stage.
( e ) Records will be duplicated at a rate of $.50 per page, except that ODNI may adjust this rate from time to time by rule published in the Federal Register. For copies prepared by computer, such as tapes, CDs, DVDs, or printouts, ODNI will charge the actual cost, including operator time, of production. For other methods of reproduction or duplication, ODNI will charge the actual direct costs of producing the document(s). If ODNI estimates that duplication charges are likely to exceed $25.00, it will notify the requester of the estimated amount of fees, unless the requester indicated in advance their willingness to pay fees as high as those anticipated. The notice will offer an opportunity to confer with IRRG staff to reformulate the request to meet the requester's needs at a lower cost. If ODNI notifies a requester that the actual or estimated fees are in excess of $25.00, the request will not be considered received and further work will not be completed until the requester commits in writing to pay the actual or estimated total fee, or designate some amount of fees they are willing to pay, or in the case of a non-commercial use requester who has not yet been provided with their statutory entitlements, the requester designates that they seek only that which can be provided by the statutory entitlements. The ODNI's IRRG staff or FOIA Public Liaison are available to assist requesters with reformulating requests to meet their needs at a lower cost.
( f ) ODNI will charge the requester the full costs of providing them with the following services: ( 1 ) Certifying that records are true copies; or
( 2 ) Sending records by special methods such as express mail.
( g ) ODNI may assess interest charges on an unpaid bill starting on the 31st calendar day following the day on which the bill was sent. Interest shall be at the rate prescribed in 31 U.S.C. 3717 and will accrue from the date of the billing until payment is received by ODNI.
( h ) ODNI will not charge a search fee for requests by educational institutions, non-commercial scientific institutions, or representatives of the news media. A search fee will be charged for a commercial use request.
( i ) ODNI will not charge duplication fees for requests by educational institutions, non-commercial scientific institutions, or representatives of the news media for a non-commercial use request if ODNI fails to comply with the FOIA's time limits in which to respond to a request.
( j ) Except for a commercial use request, ODNI will not charge for the first 100 pages of duplication and the first two hours of search.
( k ) A requester may not file multiple requests, each seeking portions of a record or records, solely for the purpose of avoiding payment of fees. When ODNI reasonably believes that a requester, or a group of requesters acting in concert, has submitted requests that constitute a single request involving clearly related matters, ODNI may aggregate those requests and charge accordingly.
( l ) ODNI may not require a requester to make payment before ODNI begins work to satisfy the request or to continue work on a request, unless: ( 1 ) ODNI estimates or determines that the allowable charges that the requester may be required to pay are likely to exceed $250.00; or
( 2 ) The requester has previously failed to pay a fee charged within 30 calendar days of the date of billing.
( m ) In cases in which ODNI requires advance payment, the request will not be considered received and further work will not be completed until the required payment is received. If the requester does not pay the advance payment within 30 calendar days after the date of ODNI's fee determination, the request will be closed. ( 1 ) Upon completion of all required review and the receipt of accrued fees (or promise to pay fees), ODNI will promptly inform the requester in writing of those records or portions of records that will be released and those that will be denied.
( 2 ) For records to be released, ODNI will provide paper copies or records on electronic media, if requested and available.
( 3 ) For records not released or partially released, ODNI shall explain the reasons for any denial and give notice of a right of administrative appeal. For partial releases, redactions will be applied to ensure requesters can see the placement and general length of withholdings with the applicable exemption(s) clearly with respect to each withholding.
( n ) Fee waiver requests and appeals. Upon written request, ODNI may waive or reduce fees that are otherwise chargeable under this part. If a fee waiver or reduction in fees is requested, the requester must demonstrate that a waiver or reduction in fees is in the public interest because disclosure of the requested records is likely to contribute significantly to the public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the requester's commercial interest. After processing, actual fees must exceed $25.00 for ODNI to require payment of fees. Appeals should be resolved prior to the initiation of processing and the incurring of costs. However, fee waiver requests will be accepted at any time prior to ODNI's decision regarding the request, except when processing has been initiated.
( o ) If the ODNI has determined that unusual circumstances, as defined by the FOIA, apply and more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to the request, the ODNI may charge search fees, or, in the case of requesters described in paragraph (h) of this section, may charge duplication fees, if the following steps are taken. ( 1 ) The ODNI must have provided timely written notice of unusual circumstances to the requester in accordance with the FOIA and ODNI must have discussed with the requester via written mail, email, or telephone (or made not less than three good-faith attempts to do so) how the requester could effectively limit the scope of the request in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(B)(ii).
( 2 ) If this exception is satisfied, the ODNI may charge all applicable fees incurred in the processing of the request.
[88 FR 48726, July 28, 2023; 88 FR 51234, Aug. 3, 2023]