Washington Administrative Code › Title 4 - Accountancy, Board of › Chapter 4-30 - General provisions › BOARD ADMINISTRATION › Section 4-30-024 - Public records

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
All public records of the agency are available for public
				  inspection and copying pursuant to these rules and applicable state law
				  (chapter 42.56 RCW), as follows:
(1)
Hours for inspection of records.
Public records are available for
				inspection and copying during normal business hours of the office of the
				Washington State Board of Accountancy at 711 Capitol Way S., Suite 400,
				Olympia, Washington, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding
				legal holidays. Records must be inspected at the agency's office when the
				requestor has been notified of the availability of the requested documents and
				an appointment is made with the public records officer.
(2)
Records index.
An index of
				public records, consisting of the retention schedules applicable to those
				records, is available to members of the public at the agency's
				office.
(3)
Organization of
				records.
The agency maintains its records in a reasonably organized
				manner. The agency will take reasonable actions to protect records from damage
				and disorganization. A requestor shall not take original records from the
				agency's office. A variety of records are also available on the agency's web
				site at
www.acb.wa.gov
. Requestors are
				encouraged to view the documents available on the web site prior to submitting
				a public records request.
(4)
				Making a request for public records.
(a) Any
				person wishing to inspect or obtain copies of public records should make the
				request in writing by letter, fax, or email addressed to the public records
				officer.
Written requests must include the following information:
* Date of the request;
* Name of the requestor;
* Address of the requestor and other contact information,
				  including telephone number and any email address;
* Clear identification of the public records requested to
				  permit the public records officer or designee to identify and locate the
				  records.
(b) The public
				records officer may also accept requests for public records by telephone or in
				person. If the public records officer or designee accepts an oral or telephone
				request, he or she will confirm receipt of the request and the details of the
				records requested, in writing, to the requestor.
(c) If the requests received in (a) or (b) of
				this subsection are not sufficiently clear to permit the public records officer
				to identify the specific records requested, the public records officer will
				request clarification from the requestor in writing.
(d) If the requestor wishes to have copies of
				the records made instead of simply inspecting them, he or she should make that
				preference clear in the request. Copies will be made by the agency's public
				records officer or designee.
(e)
				When fulfilling public records requests the agency will perform its public
				records responsibilities in the most expeditious manner consistent with the
				agency's need to fulfill its other essential functions.
(f) By law, certain records and/or specific
				content of any specific record or document may not be subject to public
				disclosure. Accordingly, a reasonable time period may occur between the date of
				the request and the ability of the public records officer to identify, locate,
				retrieve, remove content not subject to disclosure, prepare a redaction log
				that includes the specific exemption, a brief explanation of how the exemption
				applies to the records or portion of the records being withheld, and produce
				the records for inspection and/or copying. The requestor will be kept informed
				of the expected delivery timetable.
(g) If the request includes a large number of
				records, the production of the records for the requestor may occur in
				installments. The requestor will be informed, in writing, of the agency's
				anticipated installment delivery timetable.
(h) In certain instances the agency may
				notify affected third parties to whom the record relates. This notice allows
				the affected third party to seek an injunction within fifteen days from the
				date of the written notice. The notice further provides that release of the
				records to the requestor will be honored unless timely injunctive relief is
				obtained by the affected third party on or before the end of the fifteen-day
				period.
(i) Requests for lists of
				credentialed individuals by educational organizations and professional
				associations:
In order to obtain a list of individuals under the provisions
				  of
				  RCW
				    42.56.070(9), educational
				  organizations and professional associations must apply for and receive
				  recognition by the board before requests will be honored. The requesting
				  organization must provide sufficient information to satisfy the approving
				  authority that the requested list of individuals is primarily for educational
				  and professionally related uses.
Board forms are available on the board's web site or upon
				  request for your use.