Costs for Providing Public Records

Photocopying fees are ten cents (10¢) per page. The fees apply only if the request involves copies of fifty (50) or more pages. For a request that includes fifty (50) pages or more, the ISDA will charge for all pages copied. For example, a request for a document containing fifty-five (55) pages, the fee will be $5.50, plus postage, sales tax, and labor costs, where applicable. The fee charged for providing information in the form of computer tapes, discs, microfilm, or similar record media, may not exceed the amount of the direct cost of copying. In addition, the fee charged must include sales tax at the applicable Idaho state rate.

When the ISDA receives a request for copying, the total charge for which exceeds $5.00, the ISDA may request advance payment for the copying charges. The ISDA shall include an estimate for postage as part of the advance payment. For copying costs of less than $5.00, the ISDA will attach an invoice for copying and postage charges, if applicable. If a request is for more than one hundred (100) pages of records, postage fees will be determined based on the weight of the copies.

Idaho Code § 9-338(8)(a) provides that a public agency may establish a fee to recover the actual labor cost associated with locating and copying documents for a public record if: the request is for more than one hundred (100) pages of paper records; or the request includes records from which non-public information must be deleted; or, the actual labor associated with locating and copying documents for a request exceeds two (2) person hours. The ISDA’s fee for such labor costs is currently $15.00 per hour per staff person.

Idaho Code provides that the ISDA may not charge any cost or fee for copies or labor when the requester demonstrates either (1) the inability to pay, or (2) that the public’s interest or the public’s understanding of the operations or activities of government or its records would suffer by the assessment or collection of any fee.

ISDA may provide public records in electronic form if the record is available in electronic form and the requestor specifically requests an electronic copy. If ISDA determines that the existing public record will first have to be converted to another electronic format by ISDA or a third party and that such conversion cannot be completed within ten (10) working days, ISDA will notify the requestor in writing via the method of the request (email, mail or fax). ISDA will provide the converted public records at a time mutually agreed upon between the requestor and ISDA, with due consideration given to any limitations that may exist due to the process of conversion or due to the use of a third party to make the conversion. The requestor will be responsible for ISDA's cost of conversion or the third party charge for conversion. ISDA may request payment of conversion charges in advance of providing the records.