Source: https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/PierceCounty/html/PierceCounty02/PierceCounty0204.html
Timestamp: 2019-08-25 22:57:54
Document Index: 558126853

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 2', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 2', '§ 1', '§ 1']

Chapter 2.04 PUBLIC RECORDS INSPECTION AND COPYING PROCEDURES
PUBLIC RECORDS INSPECTION AND COPYING PROCEDURES Revised 8/19
2.04.010 Authority and Purpose.
2.04.020 Agency Description – Contact Information – Public Records Officer.
2.04.030 Availability of Public Records. Revised 8/19
2.04.040 Processing of Public Records Requests – General.
2.04.050 [Reserved]
2.04.060 Exemptions.
2.04.070 Payment for Public Records. Revised 8/19
2.04.075 Disposition of Funds.
2.04.080 Review of Denials of Public Records.
2.04.090 Access to Public Records
2.04.100 General Duty and Disclaimer.
A. Chapter 42.56 RCW, the Public Records Act ("act"), requires each agency to make available for inspection and copying nonexempt "public records" in accordance with published rules. The act defines "public records" to include any "writing containing information relating to the conduct of government or the performance of any governmental or proprietary function prepared, owned, used, or retained" by the agency.
B. The purpose of these rules is to establish the procedures Pierce County will follow in order to provide full access to public records. These rules provide information to persons wishing to request access to public records of Pierce County and establish processes for both requesters and Pierce County staff that are designed to best assist members of the public in obtaining such access. These rules have been written to incorporate best practices for compliance with the act and are based upon and organized according to Model Rules promulgated by the Attorney General of the State of Washington. They completely replace the former Chapter 2.04 PCC.
C. The purpose of the act is to provide the public full access to information concerning the conduct of government, mindful of individuals' privacy rights, to protect public records from damage or disorganization and to prevent excessive interference with other essential functions of the agency. The act and these rules will be interpreted in favor of disclosure. In carrying out its responsibilities under the act, Pierce County will be guided by the provisions of the act describing its purposes and interpretation.
D. All County departments, divisions, bureaus, boards, committees, commissions and officers are required to follow these procedures.
(Ord. 2017-61s2 § 1 (part), 2017; Ord. 2007-76s2 § 1 (part), 2007)
A. Pierce County is a political subdivision of the State of Washington and an agency subject to the act. The officers, departments, bureaus, boards, committees, commissions, elected officials, and other agencies of the County are also agencies subject to the act, and any person wishing to request access to public records of Pierce County, any agency of Pierce County, or seeking assistance in making such a request shall contact the public records officer of the applicable agency. Records at the judiciary and court files may not be subject to the Public Records Act or to this Ordinance, at least to the extent set forth in Nast v. Michels, 107 Wn.2d 300 (1986) and Spokane & Eastern Lawyer v. Tompkins, 136 Wn.App. 616 (2007), and disclosure of such records may be subject to the common law and to applicable court rules and orders. These rules, therefore, do not address access to court records.
B. Requests for access to public records shall be addressed to the Public Records Officer of the applicable County agency as set forth below:
Rm 142, 2401 S 35th St, Tacoma, WA 98409
Assigned Counsel Dept
Rm 200, 2401 S 35th St, Tacoma, WA 98409
Rm 176, 2401 S 35th St, Tacoma, WA 98409
901 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
Rm 110, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
Rm 737, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
Rm 1046, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
Rm 720, 950 Pacific Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
2501 S 35th St, Tacoma, WA 98409
Facilities Mgmt Dept
Ste 302, 1102 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402
Family Justice Center – Crystal Judson
Ste 100, 950 Fawcett Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402
Rm 1102, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
Ste 200, 950 Fawcett Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402
Ste 104, 1305 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
Ste 101, 1102 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402
3619 Pacific Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98418
Other County Bureaus
Other County Commissions
Parks & Recreation Services Dept
Ste 121, 9112 Lakewood Dr SW, Lakewood, WA 98499
950 Fawcett Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402
Planning & Public Works Dept
Rm 175, 2401 S 35th St, Tacoma, WA 98409
Ste 301, 955 Tacoma Avenue S, Tacoma, WA 98402
Ste 303, 955 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
C. A list of name, address, telephone, and fax number of current public records officers for agencies of Pierce County will be posted on the County's website at: www.co.pierce.wa.us/2709/Public-Records-Officers-and-Forms. Copies of that list will be provided upon request by the public records officer for the County designated by the Pierce County Executive to be known as the Pierce County Public Records Ombudsperson, 955 Tacoma Ave S, Ste 302B, Tacoma, WA 98402.
D. The applicable public records officer will oversee compliance with the act but another agency staff member may process the request. Therefore, these rules will refer to the public records officer "or designee." The public records officer or designee will provide the "fullest assistance" to requesters; ensure that public records are protected from damage or disorganization; and prevent fulfillment of public records requests from causing excessive interference with essential functions of Pierce County or its agencies.
(Ord. 2017-61s2 § 1 (part), 2017; Ord. 2017-12s § 2 (part), 2017; Ord. 2015-25s § 2 (part), 2015; Ord. 2007-76s2 § 1 (part), 2007)
A. Hours for Inspection of Records. Public records are available for inspection and copying during normal business hours of Pierce County and any of its applicable agencies, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding legal holidays. Records must be inspected at the offices of the public records officer or designee for Pierce County or its applicable agency set forth in PCC 2.04.020 or such other County office designed by the public records officer or designee.
B. Records Index. The Pierce County Council finds that maintaining an index is unduly burdensome and would interfere with agency operations for Pierce County and its applicable agencies. The requirement would unduly burden or interfere with Pierce County operations and with that of its applicable agencies because Pierce County employs approximately 3,500 employees who generate hundreds of records on a daily basis that include final opinions and orders made in the adjudication of cases, statements of policy, interpretations of policy, administrative manuals, instructions to staff that affect members of the public, planning policies and goals, interim and final planning decisions, factual staff reports and studies, factual consultant's reports and studies, scientific reports and studies, factual information derived from tests, studies, reports, or surveys, and correspondence and materials referred to therein relating to regulatory, supervisory, or enforcement responsibilities. Virtually every County department would be required to devote several full-time employees exclusively to the task of collecting, reading, categorizing, indexing, and maintaining a current index of such records. In addition, the time required by other employees to ensure that the records were forwarded to the designated employees for indexing and communicating with the designated employee regarding the purposes of the records would be substantial. Because of the size of Pierce County, the volume and variety of such records and lack of available resources to devote to such an endeavor, creating an index would be unduly burdensome and would unduly interfere with agency operations.
C. Organization of Records. Pierce County maintains its records in a reasonably organized manner. Pierce County and each of its agencies will take reasonable actions to protect records from damage and disorganization. A requester shall not take original records from Pierce County offices or that of its agencies. A variety of records is available on the Pierce County website at www.co.pierce.wa.us. Requesters are encouraged to view the documents available on the website prior to submitting a records request.
1. A record request must be addressed to the designated public records officer of the Pierce County agency that is the subject of the request and delivered by U.S. mail, email, fax or by use of the Pierce County public record request portal located at the following County website: www.co.pierce.wa.us/2711/Making-a-Public-Records-Request. Any person wishing to inspect or obtain copies of public records of any Pierce County agency should make the request in writing on Pierce County's standard request form. Requests to inspect or copy public records may be submitted in person at any County department during normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Any and all email communications concerning a public record request shall be transmitted only to those County designated email addresses listed at the following website: www.co.pierce.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/64536. Electronic communications concerning a public record request transmitted to any other email address, to include the individual email account of any Pierce County employee, will be deemed invalid. A request for public records should be submitted in writing to the designated public records officer and include the following information:
a. Legal name of requester;
b. Mailing address of requester;
c. Other requester contact information, including telephone number, fax number, and any email address;
d. Reasonable description of the records being requested, along with sufficient detail to permit the public records officer or designee to identify and locate the records;
e. The date and time of the request;
f. The name of the County department that is the subject of the request and the name of the public records officer designated for that department; and
g. Whether the requester seeks to inspect records or obtain copies.
2. Persons seeking public records or information available for inspection and copying from Pierce County may seek assistance from the Pierce County Public Records Ombudsperson. The Public Records Ombudsperson may facilitate identification of records which are available for disclosure and minimize unnecessary effort and cost to the County and to persons seeking available records. The applicable public records officer should provide an information copy of complex public records requests to the Public Records Ombudsperson.
3. If the requester wishes to have copies of the records made, instead of simply inspecting them, he or she shall so indicate and make arrangements to pay for copies of the records or at least make a deposit of 10 percent of the cost of copying estimated by the public records officer or designee before copying will commence.
4. If a request seeks records that would include a list of individuals, the requester will be required to provide a declaration under penalty of perjury certifying sufficient facts from which the public records officer or designee can reasonably determine that the records will not be used for any commercial purpose (profit-expecting activity) as prohibited by RCW 42.56.070(9) unless specifically authorized by other law. The public records officer is authorized to conduct research to confirm whether the request is for commercial purposes.
5. Persons requesting public records for which other laws limit or prohibit disclosure to a particular class of persons or for limited purposes will be required to provide a declaration under penalty of perjury certifying sufficient facts from which the public records officer or designee can reasonably determine that the legal requirements for disclosure of such records to the requester have been met. Where access to a record is limited by law to a specific class of persons such as the individual who is the subject of the record, a County agency may require the requester to appear in person and provide government issued identification prior to inspection or copying. The agency may copy the identification and retain it in the record response file.
6. Records available in electronic format that do not require redaction may be provided to a requester in native format unless the requester specifically asks that they be provided in paper or other form. When requested and deemed by the County to be reasonably translatable, electronic records may be converted from one format to another electronic format subject to the customized access service provisions and charges authorized under subsection E.8 of this Section.
1. There is no cost to inspect a public record.
2. The Pierce County Council finds that calculating the actual copying cost of public records for each County agency would be unduly burdensome due to a multitude of factors including differentials in compensation among public records officers across County agencies as well as periodic personnel changes within agencies that could affect accurate assessments of actual costs. Pierce County therefore adopts the fee provisions found in RCW 42.56.120 as follows:
a. The cost for photocopies of public records, printed copies of electronic public records, or for the permitted use of any agency equipment to photocopy a public record, is fifteen cents per page.
b. The cost to scan a public record into an electronic format or for the permitted use of agency equipment to scan a record into an electronic format is ten cents per page.
c. The cost for each four electronic files or attachments uploaded to email, cloud-based data storage service, or other means of electronic delivery is five cents.
d. The cost to transmit public records in an electronic format or for the permitted use of agency equipment to send records electronically is ten cents per gigabyte.
e. An agency may charge for the actual cost of any agency provided digital storage media or device (e.g., CD, DVD, thumb drive, etc.), the actual cost of any container or envelope used to mail any copies to a requester, and the actual costs of postage or other delivery charge incurred by the agency.
3. Any costs authorized in this subsection may be combined to the extent that more than one type of charge applies to copies produced in response to a particular request.
4. Any County agency may adopt and impose a statement of actual costs for providing photocopies and or electronic copies of records after providing notice and a public hearing. Any statement of actual costs adopted after notice and a public hearing shall be published by the County agency.
5. As an alternative to any other charge, a County agency may elect to charge a flat fee of up to two dollars for any request when the agency reasonably estimates and documents that the costs would equal or exceed two dollars in charges otherwise authorized under this subsection. For purposes of installment production, no additional flat fee shall be charged for any installment after the first installment. No other additional fees may be charged if this option is exercised.
6. Upon the request of a person seeking copies of public records, a County agency shall provide a summary of the applicable charges before any copies are made. A requester may revise a request to reduce the number of copies to be made and reduce applicable charges.
7. Copy charges should not be imposed for access to or downloading of records that a County agency routinely posts on its public internet website prior to receipt of a request unless the requester asks for copies of such records through other means.
8. In addition to other authorized charges, a customized service charge no greater than the actual cost may be imposed if a request requires use of information technology expertise to either prepare data compilations or provide customized electronic access services when such compilations and customized access services are not used by the agency for other agency purposes. The agency will provide the requester prior notice of any customized service charge and include a description of the specific expertise, a reasonable cost estimate, and an advisement that the requester may amend the request to avoid or reduce the cost of any customized service charge. The agency may require a deposit of up to ten percent of the estimated customized service charge and also produce customized service records on an installment basis.
9. Any County agency may enter into any contract, memorandum of understanding, or other agreement with a requester that provides an alternative fee arrangement to the charges otherwise authorized under this chapter, or in response to a voluminous or frequently occurring request. The terms of such an agreement will supersede any other applicable provisions of this Chapter.
10. Charges Required by Other Statutes. If a different charge for copies or certification is required to be collected by a statute other than the Public Records Act, such as RCW 36.18, RCW 46.52.085 or RCW 10.97.100, the provisions of that statute shall govern.
(Ord. 2019-27 § 1 (part), 2019; Ord. 2017-61s2 § 1 (part), 2017; Ord. 2007-76s2 § 1 (part), 2007)
A. Providing "Fullest Assistance." Pierce County and each of its agencies is charged by statute with adopting rules which provide for how it will "provide full access to public records," "protect records from damage or disorganization," "prevent excessive interference with other essential functions of the agency," provide "fullest assistance" to requesters, and provide the "most timely possible action" on public records requests. The public records officer or designee will process requests in the order allowing the most requests to be processed in the most efficient manner. Public records shall be made available without disrupting essential functions of the offices.
1. Make the records available for inspection or provide copies as requested;
2. Provide an internet address and link on a County website to the specific record requested, except that if the requester notifies the agency that he or she cannot access the record through the internet, then the agency must provide copies of the records or make them available for inspection;
3. Acknowledge receipt of the request and provide, in writing, a reasonable estimate of time required to respond to the request. The public records officer or designee may revise the estimate of time as circumstances warrant;
4. Acknowledge receipt of the request and request clarification if the request is unclear in whole or in part, and provide to the greatest extent possible a reasonable estimate of the time required to respond in the absence of further clarification by the requester. Such clarification may be requested and provided by telephone, but it is desirable to confirm such clarifications in writing. If no clarification is provided by the requester, the agency will respond to any portions of the request that are clear; or
5. Deny the request, in whole or in part.
C. Consequences of Failure to Respond. If the County or its applicable agency does not respond in writing within five business days of receipt of the request for disclosure, the requester should contact the public records officer to determine the reason for the failure to respond.
D. Protecting Rights of Others. In the event that the requested records contain information that may affect rights of others and may be exempt from disclosure, the public records officer or designee may, prior to providing the records, give notice to such others whose rights may be affected by the disclosure. Such notice should be given so as to make it possible for those other persons to contact the requester and ask him or her to revise the request or, if necessary, to seek an order from a court to prevent or limit the disclosure. The notice to the affected persons will include a copy of the request.
E. Records Exempt or Prohibited from Disclosure. Some records are exempt from or are prohibited from disclosure by law, in whole or in part. If Pierce County or its applicable agency believes that a record is exempt from or prohibited from disclosure and should be withheld, the public records officer or designee will state the specific exemption or prohibition under which the record or a portion of the record is being withheld. If only a portion of a record is exempt or prohibited from disclosure but the remainder is not exempt or prohibited, the public records officer will redact the exempt or prohibited portions, provide the nonexempt portions, and indicate to the requester why portions of the record are being redacted.
1. Consistent with other demands, Pierce County or its applicable agency shall promptly provide space to inspect public records. No member of the public may remove a document from the viewing area or disassemble or alter any document. The requester shall indicate which documents he or she wishes the agency to copy.
2. The requester must claim or review the assembled records within 30 days of the County's or its applicable agency's notification to him or her that the records are available for inspection or copying. The agency will notify the requester in writing of this requirement and inform the requester that he or she should contact the agency to make arrangements to claim or review the records. If the requester or a representative of the requester fails to claim or review the records within the 30-day period or make other arrangements satisfactory to the County or its applicable agency, the County or its applicable agency may close the request and refile the assembled records. Other public records requests can be processed ahead of a subsequent request by the same person for the same or similar records, which can be processed as a new request.
G. Providing Copies of Records. After inspection is complete, the public records officer or designee shall make any requested copies or arrange for copying upon a deposit of at least 10 percent of the estimated cost of copying. A requester who seeks to pick up copies by appearing in person at a County agency must make prior contact with the designated public records officer and arrange for a specific time to pick up the records.
H. Providing Records in Installments. When the request is for a large number of records, the public records officer or designee will provide access for inspection and copying in installments, if he or she reasonably determines that it would be practical to provide the records in that way. If, within 30 days, the requester fails to inspect the entire set of records or one or more of the installments after being made available, or to pay the balance of the cost of copying of records copied or those copied in an installment, the public records officer or designee may stop searching for and/or compiling any remaining records and close the request. If a requester fails to retrieve records made available through a County web portal or file transfer protocol service after receiving notice of the availability of the records, the County agency may stop providing further installments of records and close out the request.
I. Completion of Inspection. When the inspection of the requested records is complete and all requested copies are provided, the public records officer or designee will indicate that Pierce County or its applicable agency has completed a diligent search for the requested records and made any located non-exempt records available for inspection.
J. Closing Withdrawn or Abandoned Request. When the requester either withdraws the request or fails to fulfill his or her obligations to inspect the records, retrieve the records, or pay the deposit or any installment payment due for the requested copies, the public records officer may close the request. The public records officer may attempt to contact the requester and advise that Pierce County or its applicable agency has closed the request. Such an advisement is not necessary when a requester has been previously notified that inaction will result in closing of the request. Subsequent copies requested may not be made until the requester has paid any unpaid bill for copying services requested by the requester, whether or not the copies previously made have been retained for the requester or destroyed when the previous bill remained unpaid for more than 30 days after notice mailed to the requester.
K. Later Discovered Documents. If, after Pierce County or its applicable agency has informed the requester that it has provided all available records, Pierce County or its applicable agency becomes aware of additional responsive documents existing at the time of the request, it will promptly inform the requester of the additional documents and provide them on an expedited basis.
L. Protection of Records and Functions.
1. Public records shall be made available without disrupting essential functions of the offices. Any County employee who believes that response to public records requests will excessively interfere with other essential agency functions shall consult with his or her supervisor.
2. An agency may follow a reasonable schedule regarding retrieval of a record from an off-premises storage site so that no more than one trip per week to the remote site is required.
3. With regard to copying, prearrangement is recommended so that it can be accommodated within the work schedule. Copies shall be made only by a staff member. The precise time must remain flexible and will depend upon the work schedule for that day.
4. With regard to video or audio recordings, prior arrangements must be made for review. A staff member will be assigned to operate the County recording equipment necessary to either listen to or rerecord the original recording tape to protect originals. The public records officer may limit the maximum time allowed during any working day for supervised review to avoid excessive interference with the agency's other essential functions. If the agency is able to provide access which excludes the requester from access to original records which might be damaged or disorganized and from access to originals or copies prohibited or exempt from disclosure, additional time may be made available.
5. Review of other original records shall be done only in the immediate presence of and under the supervision of a County employee responsible for protecting the originals against damage, alteration, or disorganization by the requester. The public records officer may limit the maximum time allowed during any working day for supervised review to avoid excessive interference with the agency's other essential functions. When the time needed for this purpose exceeds two hours, time periods on a future day or days may be assigned. If the agency is able to provide access which excludes the requester from access to original records which might be damaged or disorganized and from access to originals or copies prohibited or exempt from disclosure, additional time may be made available.
The Public Records Act provides that a number of types of documents are exempt from public inspection and copying. In addition, documents are exempt from disclosure if any "other statute" exempts or prohibits disclosure. Exemptions outside the Public Records Act that restrict the availability of some documents held by Pierce County or its applicable agencies for inspection and copying include, but are not limited to, those set forth for counties and municipalities in the most recent list of other such statutes posted on the website of the Municipal Research Service Center, which is presently www.mrsc.org/Home/Explore-Topics/Legal/Open-Government/Public-records-Act.aspx, and which is incorporated herein by reference. The list is available for inspection and copying from the applicable public records officer. A list of applicable exemptions may also be found in the Public Records Act Deskbook, published by the Washington State Bar Association.
Pierce County and its agencies are prohibited by statute from disclosing lists of individuals for commercial purposes.
A. Payment. Payment may be made by any approved payment method. Personal checks will not be accepted as a method of payment. Cashier checks or money orders shall be made payable to Pierce County.
B. Waiver of Payment. Pierce County and its applicable agencies will waive copying or transmission fees for the first ten pages of records responsive to a request, to include an equivalent quantity of electronic data when the electronic data can be printed in page format. A requester is permitted one fee waiver in a 30-day period, regardless of the number of requests submitted by the same requester during that period. Waiver is not required for any record request that includes one or more of the same request terms as another request previously or concurrently submitted by the requester.
(Ord. 2019-27 § 1 (part), 2019; Ord. 2017-61s2 § 1 (part), 2017; Ord. 2017-12s § 2 (part), 2017; Ord. 2007-76s2 § 1 (part), 2007)
Money received for copies shall be receipted and deposited as set forth in Cashiering Procedures promulgated by the Department of Finance. (Ord. 2017-61s2 § 1 (part), 2017; Ord. 2017-12s § 2 (part), 2017; Ord. 2007-76s2 § 1 (part), 2007)
A. Petition for Internal Administrative Review of Denial of Access. Any person who objects to the initial denial or partial denial of a records request may petition in writing to the public records officer or designee for a review of that decision. The petition shall include a copy of or reasonably identify the written statement by the public records officer or designee denying the request.
B. Consideration of Petition for Review. The public records officer or designee shall promptly provide the petition and any other relevant information to the public records officer's supervisor or other officials designated by the agency to conduct the review, who shall immediately consult with the Prosecuting Attorney before action on the petition. That person will immediately consider the petition and either affirm or reverse the denial within two business days following the agency's receipt of the petition, or within such other time as is mutually agreeable to Pierce County and the requester.
C. Judicial Review. Any person may obtain judicial review of a public records request denial pursuant to RCW 42.56.550 at the conclusion of two business days following the initial denial regardless of any internal administrative appeal.
2.04.090 Access to Public Records.
The providing of public records shall be governed by the following procedures: With regard to audio or video recordings, prior arrangements must be made with the designated public records officer to listen to or copy a recording. A staff member will be assigned to operate the County recording equipment necessary to either listen to or rerecord any original. Time constraints for this purpose may be imposed to avoid undue disruption of agency functions.
This Chapter is not intended to create, otherwise establish, or designate any particular class or group of persons who will or should be specially protected or benefited by its terms. It is the specific intent of this Chapter that none of its provisions are intended to impose any duty whatsoever upon the County, its elected officials, or employees. Nothing contained in this Chapter is intended, nor shall it be otherwise construed, to form the basis of any liability on the part of the County, its elected officials, employees, or agents, for any act, omission, injury or damage. This chapter is not intended to expand or restrict the rights of disclosure or privacy as they exist under State and Federal law. Despite the use of any mandatory terms in this Chapter such as "shall" or "will," nothing in this Chapter is intended to impose any mandatory duties upon the County beyond those imposed by State and Federal law. (Ord. 2017-61s2 § 1 (part), 2017)