RCW 42.56.001 Finding, purpose. The legislature finds that *chapter 42.17 RCW contains laws relating to several discrete subjects. Therefore, the purpose of chapter 274, Laws of 2005 is to recodify some of those laws and create a new chapter in the Revised Code of Washington that contains laws pertaining to public records. [ 2005 c […]
RCW 42.56.010 Definitions. The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) “Agency” includes all state agencies and all local agencies. “State agency” includes every state office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or other state agency. “Local agency” includes every county, city, town, municipal corporation, quasi-municipal corporation, or […]
RCW 42.56.020 Short title. This chapter may be known and cited as the public records act. [ 2005 c 274 § 102.]
RCW 42.56.030 Construction. The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on […]
RCW 42.56.040 Duty to publish procedures. (1) Each state agency shall separately state and currently publish in the Washington Administrative Code and each local agency shall prominently display and make available for inspection and copying at the central office of such local agency, for guidance of the public: (a) Descriptions of its central and field […]
RCW 42.56.050 Invasion of privacy, when. A person’s “right to privacy,” “right of privacy,” “privacy,” or “personal privacy,” as these terms are used in this chapter, is invaded or violated only if disclosure of information about the person: (1) Would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, and (2) is not of legitimate concern to […]
RCW 42.56.060 Disclaimer of public liability. No public agency, public official, public employee, or custodian shall be liable, nor shall a cause of action exist, for any loss or damage based upon the release of a public record if the public agency, public official, public employee, or custodian acted in good faith in attempting to […]
RCW 42.56.070 Documents and indexes to be made public—Statement of costs. (1) Each agency, in accordance with published rules, shall make available for public inspection and copying all public records, unless the record falls within the specific exemptions of subsection (8) of this section, this chapter, or other statute which exempts or prohibits disclosure of […]
RCW 42.56.080 Identifiable records—Facilities for copying—Availability of public records. (1) A public records request must be for identifiable records. A request for all or substantially all records prepared, owned, used, or retained by an agency is not a valid request for identifiable records under this chapter, provided that a request for all records regarding a […]
RCW 42.56.090 Times for inspection and copying—Posting on website. Public records shall be available for inspection and copying during the customary office hours of the agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, and the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives for a minimum of thirty hours per week, except […]
RCW 42.56.100 Protection of public records—Public access. Agencies shall adopt and enforce reasonable rules and regulations, and the office of the secretary of the senate and the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives shall adopt reasonable procedures allowing for the time, resource, and personnel constraints associated with legislative sessions, consonant with […]
RCW 42.56.110 Destruction of information relating to employee misconduct. Nothing in this chapter prevents an agency from destroying information relating to employee misconduct or alleged misconduct, in accordance with RCW 41.06.450, to the extent necessary to ensure fairness to the employee. [ 1982 c 208 § 13. Formerly RCW 42.17.295.]
RCW 42.56.120 Charges for copying. (1) No fee shall be charged for the inspection of public records or locating public documents and making them available for copying, except as provided in RCW 42.56.240(14) and subsection (3) of this section. A reasonable charge may be imposed for providing copies of public records and for the use […]
RCW 42.56.130 Other provisions not superseded. The provisions of RCW * 42.56.070 (7) and (8) and 42.56.120 that establish or allow agencies to establish the costs charged for photocopies or electronically produced copies of public records do not supersede other statutory provisions, other than in this chapter, authorizing or governing fees for copying public records. […]
RCW 42.56.140 Public records exemptions accountability committee. (1)(a) The public records exemptions accountability committee is created to review exemptions from public disclosure, with thirteen members as provided in this subsection. (i) The governor shall appoint two members, one of whom represents the governor and one of whom represents local government. (ii) The attorney general shall […]
RCW 42.56.141 Public records exemptions accountability committee—Wolf depredation information exemption. (Expires June 30, 2027.) By December 1, 2021, the public records exemptions accountability committee, in addition to its duties in RCW 42.56.140, must prepare and submit a report to the legislature that includes recommendations on whether the exemptions created in section 1, chapter 246, Laws […]
RCW 42.56.150 Training—Local elected and statewide elected officials. (1) Each local elected official and statewide elected official, and each person appointed to fill a vacancy in a local or statewide office, must complete a training course regarding the provisions of this chapter, and also chapter 40.14 RCW for records retention. (2) Officials required to complete […]
RCW 42.56.152 Training—Public records officers. (1) Public records officers designated under RCW 42.56.580 and records officers designated under RCW 40.14.040 must complete a training course regarding the provisions of this chapter, and also chapter 40.14 RCW for records retention. (2) Public records officers must: (a) Complete training no later than ninety days after assuming responsibilities […]
RCW 42.56.155 Assistance by attorney general. The attorney general’s office may provide information, technical assistance, and training on the provisions of this chapter. [ 2014 c 66 § 5.] NOTES: Findings—Short title—Effective date—2014 c 66: See notes following RCW 42.56.150.
RCW 42.56.210 Certain personal and other records exempt. (1) Except for information described in *RCW 42.56.230(3)(a) and confidential income data exempted from public inspection pursuant to RCW 84.40.020, the exemptions of this chapter are inapplicable to the extent that information, the disclosure of which would violate personal privacy or vital governmental interests, can be deleted […]
