Featured Inquiry (05/12/08)

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Question:

May the county charge the 15 cents a page copying cost as authorized in state law and also add a charge for staff time spent making copies?

Answer:

No. RCW 42.56.120 provides that an agency may charge fifteen cents a page for photocopies of public records. This 15 cents already includes the staff time to make the copies.

However, the county is authorized to charge more than fifteen cents a page if it can demonstrate that the actual costs for copying exceed 15 cents. Theoretically, there is no upper limit on this charge except that it can only be based on actual costs. There is more guidance in RCW 42.56.070(7) on what may be included in the actual per page cost. The county may include all costs directly incident to copying, including the actual cost of the paper and the per page cost for use of county copying equipment. The county may include all costs incident to shipping such public records. The county may not include staff salaries, benefits or other administrative or overhead charges, unless those costs are directly related to the actual cost of copying the public records. Staff time to copy and mail the records may be included in an agency's costs. The actual costs cannot, however, include staff time to locate and produce the records for inspection.