Washington Administrative Code
Title 162 - Human Rights Commission
Chapter 162-04 - General provisions
Section 162-04-037 - Costs of providing copies of public records

(1) Inspection. There is no fee for inspecting public records, including inspecting records on the human rights commission's website.

(2) Statutory default costs. The human rights commission is not calculating actual costs for copying its records because to do so would be unduly burdensome for the following reasons: Funds were not allocated for performing a study to calculate such actual costs and the human rights commission does not have the resources to conduct a study to determine actual copying costs for all its records; staff resources are insufficient to perform a study and to calculate such actual costs; to conduct such a study would interfere with other essential agency functions; and, through the legislative process, the public and requestors have commented on and been informed of authorized fees and costs provided in the Public Records Act, including RCW 42.56.120 and other laws. Therefore, in order to timely implement a fee schedule consistent with the Public Records Act, it is more cost efficient, expeditious and in the public interest for the human rights commission to adopt the state legislature's approved fees and costs for most of the human rights commission's records, as authorized in RCW 42.56.120 and as published in the agency's fee schedule.

(3) Fee schedule. The fee schedule is available at 711 S. Capitol Way, Ste. 402, P.O. Box 42490, Olympia, Washington 98504 and on the human rights commission's website at www.hum.wa.gov.

(4) Estimate of costs for requestor. If a requestor asks, the human rights commission will provide a summary of the applicable charges before copies are made, and the requestor may revise the request to reduce the number of copies to be made. The human rights commission will also provide a requestor, in advance, information concerning customized service charges if the request involves customized service.

(5) Processing payments. Before beginning to make the copies or processing a customized service, the public records officer or designee may require a deposit of up to ten percent of the estimated costs of copying all the records selected by the requestor. The public records officer or designee may also require the payment of the remainder of the copying costs before providing all the records, or the payment of the costs of copying an installment before providing that installment. The human rights commission will not charge sales tax when it makes copies of public records.

(6) Costs of mailing. The human rights commission may also charge actual costs of mailing, including the cost of the shipping container.

(7) Payment. Payment may be made by cash, check, or money order to the human rights commission.