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A public record is any state or local record relating to the conduct of government or the performance of a governmental function, and which is prepared or retained by any state or local agency. The record may be in a variety of forms such as writing, a recording, a picture, an electronic disk, a magnetic tape, etc.
The City Clerk's office is responsible for being the Records Officer of the City. It is the role of this office to assure the City is in compliance with the Public Records Act. This includes providing public access to current, as well as historical documents. The City of Olympia provides access to public records under the provisions of the Washington State Public Records Act (RCW 42.56).
All records maintained by the City of Olympia are available for public inspection unless specifically exempted by law. You are entitled to access public records, under reasonable conditions, and to copies of those records upon paying the costs of making the copy. In most cases, you do not have to explain why you want the records. However, specific information may be necessary to process your request. We may require information necessary to establish if disclosure would violate certain provisions of law.
The more precisely you can identify the record you seek, the more responsive we can be. The City of Olympia provides access to existing public records in its possession; however, the City is not required to collect information or organize data to create a record not existing at the time of the request.
How to submit a public records request
We need your request in writing. You can obtain our Public Records Request Form online, or request one by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 360-753-8325.
Note: Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to open the forms.
Please mail, fax, email or bring your request to the City Clerks' Office at City Hall, 900 Plum Street SE, Olympia, WA 98501, or any City Office. Requests submitted by email will only be accepted if sent to the City Clerk.
You may submit your request on the City of Olympia's Public Records Request form or in another written format that contains the following information:
- Date of request
- Name
- Full address
- Telephone number
- E-mail address
- Complete description of requested record(s)
- Title and date of the requested record(s), if known
- Location (department) of requested record(s), if known
- Indicate if you intend to inspect the records and/ or obtain a copy of the record(s)
- How to contact you when the documents are ready for review or copies are available for pickup
- If requesting any lists of individuals (natural persons), certify that the list will not be used in connection with a commercial business or profit-oriented venture, RCW 42.56.070(9).
How the City will respond to your Public Records Request
The City will respond to a request for public records within five business days of receipt (per RCW 42.56.520).
The City will respond by either:
- Providing the record(s), or the disclosable portion(s) of the records, for inspection and/or copying of the record after payment of any applicable fees.
- Acknowledging receipt of the request and providing a reasonable estimate of the time necessary to respond based on the need to:
»Request clarification of an unclear request
»Locate and assemble the information requested
»Notify persons or agencies affected by the request
»Determine whether any of the information is exempt from disclosure
»Request a deposit before duplication of records
- Denying the request. If a request is denied, a written statement is required of the specific exemption authorizing the withholding of the record (or part) and a brief explanation of how the exemption applies to the record withheld.
Fees
Cities are not allowed to charge for the staff time spent in locating a public record, or for making a record available for inspection. A city can however, charge for the actual costs connected with copying public records, including the staff time spent making the copies. A city cannot charge more than fifteen cents a page for photocopying unless the city has calculated its actual costs per page and determined that they are greater than fifteen cents. Actual costs for postage and delivery can be included, as well as the cost of any envelopes. If a city has to pay an outside source for making duplicates of records such as photographs, blueprints or tape recordings, the city can also pass those costs on to the requestor. RCW 42.56.070(7) & (8) and RCW 42.56.120.
BASIC FEE SCHEDULE*
| Review of requested records |
No charge |
| 20 pages or less |
No charge |
| 21 or more pages |
$.15 per page (charge includes first 20 pages) |
| Actual charge |
If materials need to be copied by an outside source, the requestor pays the actual amount invoiced to the City by the Vendor. |
Mailing envelopes
or packaging |
Actual cost of supplies |
| Postage |
Actual postage costs |
| Deposit |
In the event a records request is estimated to exceed $25.00, the City, at its discretion, may require the requestor to deposit an amount not to exceed 10% of the estimated cost prior to the duplication of the record(s). |
*NOTE: Fees may be charged above the basic fee schedule if a department has determined specific charges for a particular record.