§ 38-2-4 - Cost. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 38-2-4

   § 38-2-4  Cost. – (a) Subject to the provisions of § 38-2-3, a public body must allow copiesto be made or provide copies of public records. The cost per copied page ofwritten documents provided to the public shall not exceed fifteen cents ($.15)per page for documents copyable on common business or legal size paper. Apublic body may not charge more than the reasonable actual cost for providingelectronic records.

   (b) A reasonable charge may be made for the search orretrieval of documents. Hourly costs for a search and retrieval shall notexceed fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour and no costs shall be charged for thefirst hour of a search or retrieval.

   (c) Copies of documents shall be provided and the search andretrieval of documents accomplished within a reasonable time after a request. Apublic body shall provide an estimate of the costs of a request for documentsprior to providing copies.

   (d) Upon request, the public body shall provide a detaileditemization of the costs charged for search and retrieval.

   (e) A court may reduce or waive the fees for costs chargedfor search or retrieval if it determines that the information requested is inthe public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to publicunderstanding of the operations or activities of the government and is notprimarily in the commercial interest of the requester.