The commission will charge to provide copies of public records as provided in this section.

1. (1) Adoption of statutory copying charges. The commission has not calculated the actual costs for copying its records because to do so would be unduly burdensome for the following reasons:

   1. (a) The commission has insufficient resources to conduct a comprehensive study to determine the actual costs of copying its records;
   2. (b) To conduct a study of the commission's actual copying costs would interfere with other essential agency functions; and

   3. (c) The legislature has established reasonable fees and costs in RCW 42.56.120 after the public and requesters have commented on, and been informed of, such fees and costs.

      To timely implement a fee schedule consistent with the Public Records Act, it is more cost efficient and expeditious and in the public interest for the commission to adopt the legislature's approved fees and costs for most of the commission's records, as authorized in RCW 42.56.120 and as published in the commission's fee schedule.

2. (2) Fee schedule. Persons may obtain the schedule of the commission's copying charges by contacting the commission's records center. The commission does not charge sales tax on copies it makes at its own facilities.
3. (3) Cost estimates. Upon request, the commission will provide a requester with a summary of the applicable charges before the commission makes copies of the requested records. The requester may revise the request to reduce the requested number of copies and correspondingly reduce the copying charges.
4. (4) Deposits and prepayment. Before beginning to make copies, the public records officer may require a requester to pay a deposit of up to ten percent of the estimated costs of copying all the requested records. The public records officer may also require the requester to pay the remainder of the copying costs before providing all the records, or to pay the costs of copying an installment before providing that installment.
5. (5) Waiver or other fee arrangements. The commission may waive copying charges. The commission also may enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or other agreement with a requester that provides an alternative fee arrangement to the charges or in response to voluminous or frequently occurring requests.
6. (6) Mailing and delivery costs. The commission may charge the actual costs it incurs to mail or use a commercial carrier to deliver copies of the requested public records, including the cost of any digital storage medium or device on which the commission copies the records (such as a disc or flash drive), the shipping container or envelope, and the postage or delivery charge.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040 and 80.04.160. WSR 18-20-007 (Docket A-180513, General Order R-594), § 480-04-100, filed 9/19/18, effective 10/20/18. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040, 80.04.160, 81.04.160, and 34.05.353. WSR 06-17-087 (Docket A-060475, General Order No. R-537), § 480-04-100, filed 8/14/06, effective 9/14/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040 and 80.04.160. WSR 03-24-028 (General Order R-510, Docket No. A-010648), § 480-04-100, filed 11/24/03, effective 1/1/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040, 80.04.160 and 81.04.160. WSR 98-02-011 (Order R-446, Docket No. A-970591), § 480-04-100, filed 12/29/97, effective 1/29/98. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040. WSR 91-07-025 (Order R-340, Docket No. A-900424), § 480-04-100, filed 3/14/91, effective 4/14/91. Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040 (1) and (4). WSR 81-06-061 (Order R-157, Cause No. TV-1429), § 480-04-100, filed 3/4/81. Statutory Authority: RCW 42.17.300. WSR 78-02-020 (Order R-112), § 480-04-100, filed 1/11/78; Order R-43, § 480-04-100, filed 4/5/73.]