The department of health shall charge a fee of twenty dollars for certified copies of records and for copies or information provided for research, statistical, or administrative purposes, and eight dollars for a search of the files or records when no copy is made. The department shall prescribe by regulation fees to be paid for preparing sealed files and for opening sealed files.

     No fee may be demanded or required for furnishing certified copies of a birth, death, fetal death, marriage, divorce, annulment, or legal separation record for use in connection with a claim for compensation or pension pending before the veterans administration. No fee may be demanded or required for furnishing certified copies of a death certificate of a sex offender for use by a law enforcement agency in maintaining a registered sex offender database, or that of any offender requested by a county clerk or court in the state of Washington for purposes of extinguishing the offender's legal financial obligation.

     The department shall keep a true and correct account of all fees received and transmit the fees to the state treasurer on a weekly basis.

     Local registrars shall charge the same fees as the state as hereinabove provided and as prescribed by department regulation except in cases where payment is made by credit card, charge card, debit card, smart card, stored value card, federal wire, automatic clearinghouse system, or other electronic communication. Payment by these electronic methods may be subject to an additional fee consistent with the requirements established by RCW 36.29.190. All such fees collected, except for seven dollars of each fee collected for the issuance of birth certificates and first copies of death certificates and fourteen dollars of each fee collected for additional copies of the same death certificate ordered at the same time as the first copy, shall be paid to the jurisdictional health department.

     All local registrars in cities and counties shall keep a true and correct account of all fees received under this section for the issuance of certified copies and shall transmit seven dollars of the fees collected for birth certificates and first copies of death certificates and fourteen dollars of the fee collected for additional copies of death certificates to the state treasurer on or before the first day of January, April, July, and October. All but five dollars of the fees turned over to the state treasurer by local registrars shall be paid to the department of health for the purpose of developing and maintaining the state vital records systems, including a web-based electronic death registration system.

     Eight dollars of each fee imposed for the issuance of certified copies, except for copies suitable for display issued under RCW 70.58.085, at both the state and local levels shall be held by the state treasurer in the death investigations' account established by RCW 43.79.445.

[2007 c 200 § 2; 2007 c 91 § 2. Prior: 2003 c 272 § 1; 2003 c 241 § 1; 1997 c 223 § 1; 1991 c 3 § 343; 1988 c 40 § 1; 1987 c 223 § 3.]

NOTES:

     Reviser's note: This section was amended by 2007 c 91 § 2 and by 2007 c 200 § 2, each without reference to the other. Both amendments are incorporated in the publication of this section under RCW 1.12.025(2). For rule of construction, see RCW 1.12.025(1).