(1) There is no cost to inspect public records.

(2) Calculating the actual costs of charges for providing public records is unduly burdensome because the department does not have resources to conduct a study of actual costs for all requested records. In addition, conducting such a study would interfere with other essential agency functions.

(3) The department may do one or more of the following:

(a) Charge for copies of records according to the default fees in RCW 42.56.120 (2)(b), (c), and (d);

(b) Charge for customized services pursuant to RCW 42.56.120(3);

(c) Charge other copy fees authorized by statutes outside of chapter 42.56 RCW; and

(d) Enter into an alternative fee agreement with a requestor under RCW 42.56.120(4).

(4) Fee waivers. The department may waive copying fees in one or more of the following circumstances:

(a) Clients receiving the first copy of their file;

(b) Producing records assists in managing a program;

(c) The expense of billing exceeds the cost of producing records; and

(d) All of the records responsive to an entire request are paper copies only and are twenty-five or fewer pages.

(5) Advance deposits. The public records officer may require an advance deposit of ten percent of the estimated costs of copying records. The public records officer may also require the payment of the remainder of the copying costs before providing all of the records, or, when records are provided on an installment basis, require payment of the costs of copying an installment before providing that installment. If the requestor does not claim an installment of a records request, the department is not obligated to continue producing the balance of the request.

(6) A request will be closed when a requestor fails by the payment date to pay in the manner prescribed for records, an installment of records, or a required deposit.