(1) Costs for paper and electronic copies. The following copy fees and payment procedures apply to requests to the office under chapter 42.56 RCW.

(2) Pursuant to RCW 42.56.120 (2)(b), as amended by section 3, chapter 304, Laws of 2017, the office will not be calculating actual costs for copying records because to do so would be unduly burdensome for the following reasons:

(a) The office does not have the resources to conduct a study to determine all its actual copying costs;

(b) To conduct such a study would interfere with other essential agency functions; and

(c) Through the 2017 legislative process, the public and requestors have commented on and been informed of authorized fees and costs, including for electronic records.

(3) The office will charge for copies of records consistent with the fee schedule established in RCW 42.56.120(2).

(a) No fee shall be charged for the inspection of public records or locating public documents and making them available for copying, unless another cost applies such as a copy fee;

(b) Fifteen cents per page for photocopies of public records, printed copies of electronic public records when requested by the person requesting records, or for the use of agency equipment to photocopy public records;

(c) Ten cents per page for public records scanned into an electronic format or for the use of agency equipment to scan the records;

(d) Five cents per each four electronic files or attachments uploaded to email, cloud-based data storage service, or other means of electronic delivery;

(e) Ten cents per gigabyte for the transmission of public records in an electronic format or for the use of agency equipment to send the records electronically;

(f) The cost of any digital storage media or device provided by the office, the cost of any envelope or container used to mail the copies to the requestor, and the cost of any postage or delivery charge;

(g) The office will not charge sales tax when it makes copies of public records unless it uses an outside vendor to make the copies;

(h) A requestor may ask the office to provide, and if requested the office shall provide, an estimated summary of the applicable charges before any copies or scans are made and the requestor may revise the request to reduce the number of copies to be made and reduce the applicable charges;

(i) The office shall not impose copying charges under this section for access to or downloading of records that the agency routinely posts on its public internet website prior to receipt of a request unless the requestor has specifically requested that the agency provide copies of such records through other means;

(j) The office shall take reasonable steps to provide the records in the most efficient manner available to the agency in its normal operations;

(k) The charges for copying methods used by the office are summarized in the fee schedule available on the office's website at www.rco.wa.gov.

(4) Fee waivers are an exception and are available for some small requests under the following conditions:

It is within the discretion of the public records officer to waive copying fees when: (a) All of the records responsive to an entire request are paper copies only and are twenty-five or fewer pages; or (b) all of the records responsive to an entire request are electronic and can be provided in a single email with attachments of a size totaling no more than the equivalent of one hundred printed pages. If that email for any reason is not deliverable, records will be provided through another means of delivery, and the requestor will be charged in accordance with this rule.

(5) The public records officer may require advanced payment. An advance deposit of twenty-five percent of the estimated fees may be required when the fees for an installment or an entire request, or customized service charge, exceeds twenty-five dollars.

(6) All required fees must be paid in advance of release of the copies or an installment of copies, or in advance of when a deposit is required. The office will notify the requestor of when payment is due.

(7) Payment should be made by check or money order to the recreation and conservation office. The office will not accept cash payment.

(8) The office will close a request when a requestor fails by the payment date to pay in the manner prescribed for records, an installment of records, or a required deposit.

PDFWAC 286-06-090

Costs of providing copies of public records.