FAQs • Aberdeen, WA • CivicEngage

What public records are exempt from disclosure?: In general, public records that are exempt from public disclosure are those in the categories listed in RCW 42..56.230 through 42.56.480. Reference must be made to this statute to determine on a case-by-case basis whether a particular record is exempt. When a city denies a request for disclosure of a public record, it must identify the specific statutory exemption upon which the denial is based and it must provide a brief explanation of how that exemption applies. RCW 42.56.520. It should be kept in mind, however, that certain statutes outside of the public records law also prohibit disclosure of particular records.

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Public Records Request

1. How do I submit a Public Records Request?: Fill out the Public Records Request form. Fax to 360-532-9137 or drop off in person at City Hall 200 E. Market St. Aberdeen, WA.

2. Can I See All City Records?: No, Federal, State and/or City law restricts access to some records. The City may withhold restricted records in their entirety, or may "redact" (black out) part of a record depending on the statutory rules.

3. Will my request for records be kept confidential?: No, your request becomes a public record and can be requested and/ or viewed by others.

4. How are the five business days calculated when responding to a public records request?: RCW 42.56.520 provides that a response to a request for public records must be made by the agency within five business days. The day the request is received does not count as one of the five days. RCW 1.12.040 provides: "The time within which an act is to be done, as herein provided, shall be computed by excluding the first day, and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, Saturday, or Sunday, and then it is also excluded." The general statute appears to be of application throughout the state statutes.

5. Must the City copy records at no charge for non-profit organizations?: No. Public records law allows a city to recover a reasonable charge for providing copies of public records to any person. This applies to nonprofit corporations as well as private citizens or businesses. The charge may not exceed the amount necessary to reimburse the agency for its actual costs and may not include staff time needed to retrieve the documents.

6. What is third party notification?: If records contain information that may affect others and may be exempt from disclosure, the City may send a notice to those parties informing them of the request prior to providing the records to the requestor.

7. When is a request considered abandoned?: If a requestor fails to fulfill their obligations to inspect, respond to clarification from by City staff, or make any payment in the allotted time period, the City may close the request and consider it abandoned.

8. How does the City handle large requests?: Large requests may be handled in installments.

City of Aberdeen Council Meeting recordings, meeting minutes and agendas once posted can be found here:

10. How do I get Birth/Death, Marriage, or Divorce certificates?: These are not City of Aberdeen records. You can obtain information on how to obtain copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates from the Washington State Department of Health Center for Health Statistics at http://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/BirthDeathMarriageandDivorce/AboutCertificates.

11. Must the City agree to provide copies of “future records”?: No. A future record is one that does not exist today but may be created in the future. If there is no "writing," there can be no "public record" and, accordingly, there can be no requirement to allow inspection or copying as a result of a current request. Obviously, if a future request is made and the record then exists, the request will need to be considered. The City's obligation is confined to existing records.

12. What public records are exempt from disclosure?: In general, public records that are exempt from public disclosure are those in the categories listed in RCW 42..56.230 through 42.56.480. Reference must be made to this statute to determine on a case-by-case basis whether a particular record is exempt. When a city denies a request for disclosure of a public record, it must identify the specific statutory exemption upon which the denial is based and it must provide a brief explanation of how that exemption applies. RCW 42.56.520. It should be kept in mind, however, that certain statutes outside of the public records law also prohibit disclosure of particular records.