Washington Administrative Code › Title 173 - Ecology, Department of (See also Titles 197, 317, 372, and 508) › Chapter 173-03 - Public records › Section 173-03-070 - Costs of providing public records

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) Ecology does not charge a fee for the
			 inspection of public records.
(2)
			 Pursuant to
			 RCW
			 42.56.120(2), ecology
			 declares for the following reasons that it would be unduly burdensome to
			 calculate the actual costs it charges for providing copies of public records:
			 Funds were not allocated for performing a study to calculate such actual costs
			 and the agency lacks the necessary funds to perform a study and calculations;
			 staff resources are insufficient to perform a study and to calculate such
			 actual costs; and a study would interfere with and disrupt other essential
			 agency functions. Ecology may charge fees for production of copies of public
			 records consistent with the fee schedule established in
			 RCW
			 42.56.120 and as published in ecology's fee
			 schedule available on the ecology web site at
www.ecology.wa.gov
.
(3) Ecology will charge the actual amount
			 charged by an external vendor for records copied by an external vendor
			 including records in nonstandard sizes or formats as published in ecology's fee
			 schedule available on the ecology web site at
www.ecology.wa.gov
.
(4) Before copying public records, the public
			 records officer or designee may require a deposit of up to ten percent of the
			 estimated costs of copying all of the records. The public records officer or
			 designee may also require payment of the remainder of the copying costs before
			 providing all of the records, or the payment of costs of copying an installment
			 before providing the installment.
(5) At ecology's sole discretion, ecology may
			 provide customized electronic access to public records if the agency estimates
			 that the request would require the use of information technology expertise to
			 prepare data compilations, or provide customized electronic access services
			 when such compilations and customized access services are not used by ecology
			 for other agency purposes. Ecology will charge the actual costs, including
			 staff time, necessary to reimburse the agency for providing customized
			 electronic access services.
(6)
			 Ecology will not release any requested copies of public records unless and
			 until the requestor has paid all copying and other charges as set forth in this
			 section.
(7) Ecology may waive any
			 charges for providing public records at the discretion of the public records
			 officer. This determination will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Statutory Authority: RCW 42.17.250. 98-16-052 (Order 98-12),
				  § 173-03-070, filed 7/31/98, effective 8/31/98. Statutory Authority: RCW
				  42.17.250 - 42.17.340 and 1992 c 139. 92-20-116 (Order 92-37), §
				  173-03-070, filed 10/7/92, effective 11/7/92. Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				  43.17.060 and 42.17.260. 90-21-119 (Order
				  90-37), § 173-03-070, filed 10/23/90, effective 11/23/90. Statutory
				  Authority: RCW 42.17.250 - 42.17.340. 78-02-041 (Order DE 77-35), §
				  173-03-070, filed 1/17/78.