“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 remaining informed so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created.”
So opens the Washington state Public Records Act, empowering anyone to request and review most government documents as a basis for citizen oversight. It serves as a powerful statutory mandate that, along with the federal Freedom of Information Act, helps protect public transparency.
While state law allows numerous exemptions for personal privacy or legal privilege, the vast majority of records created, collected or maintained by public agencies remain available for public review. These include everything from city budgets to meeting audio recordings to a mayor’s text messages. RCW does not distinguish between electronic or hardcopy records, and in fact encourages agencies to share records electronically because it is often “cheaper and easier.”
Public records serve as the foundation of most investigative news reporting — revealing official misconduct, government waste or institutional failings. But the law opens records to everyone.
Requesting a record is often as simple as sending an email or making a call, but here are a few tips for submitting efficient and effective requests:
- Be specific. The more you can target your request with a case number, creation date or keyword — the easier (and faster) it is to find. Do your research to figure out what you’re looking for, who keeps it and how it is formatted.
- Be prepared. Know your rights and what information you’re entitled to request. Cite state law if needed, but offer to clarify or negotiate requests to get what you’re looking for.
- Be polite. Public records officers appreciate professionalism. They often balance disclosure duties with other responsibilities and/or are understaffed.
- Be patient, but persistent. Depending on the size of your request, it could take weeks or months to complete. Allow a reasonable turnaround time, but ask for an estimated time for release, document your communications and follow up regularly.
Deadlines: State law requires agencies to acknowledge receipt of your request within five business days. At that point, they can either fulfill your request or provide an estimate for releasing the records. Law allows agencies broad discretion on fulfilling requests based on size and complexity within a reasonable time. Though courts have awarded millions of dollars in fines against agencies that have wrongfully withheld or delayed releasing records.
Fees: Agencies can charge requestors for the actual costs of making copies of records, including scanning hardcopies into electronic format. Many agencies do not charge fees, while others can waive fees upon request. Officials cannot charge requestors to simply inspect records in person.
Exemptions: State law includes dozens of specific exemptions for information on medical records, personal safety issues or criminal matters. However, the law requires officials to interpret exemptions narrowly, and they must cite the specific exemption for redacting any information. The presence of exempt information also does not exempt the entire document if it can be redacted.
Open government advocates and public agencies have created several helpful statewide guides to assist with seeking records including: the Washington Coalition for Open Government, the state Attorney General’s Office, MuckRock and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
MuckRock also compiled a list of a few more light-hearted stories based on government records.
Here are some local resources for locating or requesting common public records:
County
- County public records requests
- County commission meeting agenda
- County commission meeting minutes archive
- Election results and candidate filing info
- Sheriff’s Office daily blotter
- Whitman County Jail inmate roster
- Superior Court information
- Restaurant inspection scores
- Board of Health meeting minutes
- Assessor property value registry
Cities
- City of Colfax public records request portal
- City of Colfax council agendas and minutes
- City of Colfax boards and commissions agendas/minutes
- City of Pullman public records request portal (Includes log of recent requests)
- City of Pullman council and boards agendas
- City of Pullman archived council records
- City of Pullman council meeting video replays
- City of Pullman archives boards and commissions records
- City of Pullman building permit log of projects and fees
- Pullman Police Department daily blotter
School districts
- Colfax School District board meeting documents
- Colfax School District board meeting minutes
- Colton School District board meeting minutes
- Garfield-Palouse School District board agenda/minutes
- Pullman School District board meeting packets
- Pullman School District meeting video replays
Washington State University
- Set up an account with in the central WSU NextRequest portal to submit and manage records requests to any department of the university. Be aware FERPA exemptions will restrict most identifiable information on current students.
State
- Washington state data portal
- State employee salary listing database
- State auditor performance reports
- Campaign donations and lobbying
- OSPI School Report Card
- OSPI other data and reports
- State business license search
- Health care provider credential search
- State transportation and crash data
- Center for Real Estate Research housing reports
Please let me know if you have suggestions for additional resources to add to this list or questions about obtaining local public records. If you get copies of anything interesting, you can always send them to: whitmancowatch@gmail.com.