For purposes of fees only, requesters are divided into general categories. 

Commercial Requester

Commercial use request means a request from or on behalf of one who requests information for a use or purpose that furthers the commercial, trade, or profit interest of the requester or the person on whose behalf the request is made.

Requesters under the Commercial category are charged the following:​​

• Search and Review of Records​

• Duplication of Records

Educational Institution

Educational institution means a preschool, a public or private elementary or secondary school, an institution of undergraduate or graduate higher education, an institution of professional education, or an institution of vocational education, that operates a program or programs of scholarly research.

For Colleges and Universities, a statement signed by the chairperson of the department to which the requester belongs, attesting to the fact that the request is being made on the institution’s behalf will serve as documentation supporting the requester’s inclusion in this category.

Requesters under the Educational category are charged the following:

• Duplication of Records after the first 100 pages

Non-commercial Scientific

Non-commercial scientific institution means an institution that is not operated on a "commercial" basis and that is operated solely for the purpose of conducting scientific research, the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry.

Requesters under the Non-commercial Scientific category are charged the following:​

• Duplication of Records after the first 100 pages

News Media

Representative of the news media means any person actively gathering news for an entity that is organized and operated to publish or broadcast news to the public.

The term news means information that is about current events or that would be of current interest to the public.

News media include television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large and publishers of periodicals (but only in those instances when they can qualify as disseminators of ``news'') who make their products available for purchase by the general public.

Requesters under the News Media category are charged the following:​

• Duplication of Records after the first 100 pages

Other

Requesters who do not fall within any of the other four categories.

Requesters who fall under the Other category are charged the following: ​

• Search and Review of Records after the first 2 hours​

• Duplication of Records after the first 100 pages

The categories of personnel that may conduct searches and reviews and the estimated hourly costs:

Administrative/clerical – $21/hour​
Professional – $41/hour​
Executive -- $76/hour

Duplication Costs - Records shall be duplicated at a rate of $.15 per page.

Duplication is reproducing a copy of a record, or of the information contained in it, necessary to respond to a FOIA request. Copies can take the form of paper, audiovisual materials, or electronic records, among others.​

For duplication, the Department will charge the estimated direct cost of each duplication based on the average current salary rates (including benefits) of the categories of personnel doing the work in addition to a rate of $.15 per page.

You may ask that fees associated with your request be waived or reduced if your request meets both of the following:

1. Your request is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government.

   
   

2. Your request is not primarily in your commercial interest.​

To determine whether disclosure of the information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government, the Department will consider the following four factors: ​

1. The subject of the request: the subject of the requested records concerns the operations or activities of the government.

   ​​​

2. The informative value of the information to be disclosed: the disclosure of the records is “likely to contribute” to an understanding of government operations or activities.

   ​​

3. The contribution to an understanding of the subject by the general public likely to result from disclosure, taking in your ability and intent to disseminate the information to the public.

   ​​

4. The significance of the contribution to public understanding: whether the disclosure is likely to contribute "significantly" to public understanding of government operations or activities.

To determine whether disclosure of the information is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester, the Department will consider the following two factors:

1. The existence and magnitude of a commercial interest: whether the requester has a commercial interest that would be furthered by the requested disclosure.​




2. The primary interest in disclosure: whether the magnitude of the identified commercial interest of the requester is sufficiently large, in comparison with the public interest in disclosure.​

The Department may refuse to consider waiver or reduction of fees for requesters (persons or organizations) from whom unpaid fees remain owed to the Department for another information access request.

The Department's decision to refuse to waive or reduce fees may be appealed within 30 days of the receipt of the denial. For more information on appealing the Department’s decision not to grant a fee waiver, go to Appeals.