Public Records Disclosure

Making a Request for Records – Online Records

As of February 2012, most Office of Hearing Examiner case records, from 2010 to the present, are available to the public from this site. Click here to access the Internet Records Information System (IRIS).

There is no charge to access, view and/or print Office of Hearing Examiner online case records.

Making a Request for Records – Paper Records

All non-exempt records of the Office of Hearing Examiner are available to the public for review and copying Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., excluding legal holidays. It is necessary to make an appointment to review and copy records.

Requests to review or copy the Office of Hearing Examiner's public records should be made in writing on the Office of Hearing Examiner's request form, attached below, or by letter, fax, or email.

• PDF format
• Word format

The following information needs to be included in a request:

• Name, address, telephone and/or email address of the requestor
• Date of the request
• Sufficient information to identify the public record
• Date range for the requested documents

A number of public records are available on-line free of charge, including Hearing Examiner decisions from 1990 to the present, Hearing Examiner Rules and Procedures, the Public Guide, appeal forms and annual reports from the last 2 years.

Charges for Copies of Public Records

• There is no charge for inspecting public records
• Black and white copies (8 ½ x 11) are 15 cents per page
• Other media will incur the actual cost of materials
• Mailing includes the actual cost of postage and the shipping container
• Large Requests (RCW 42.56.120). The Office of Hearing Examiner:
  • May charge a deposit of up to ten percent of the estimated cost of an entire request before copying records
  • May provide copies in installments
  • May require advance payment prior to providing additional installments

Payments must be made payable to the City of Seattle.

(Cash, checks, and money orders are currently the only accepted forms of payment)

Responses to Public Records Requests

Within five business days after receipt of the request, the Public Records Officer will do one or more of the following:

• Make the records available for inspection and/or copying
• Acknowledge receipt of the request and provide a reasonable estimate of when records will be available
• Send the requested copies to the requestor if payment has been received
• Seek clarification of an unclear request
• Deny the request with an explanation of the denial

All records will be released if they do not fall within the specific exemptions of the Public Records Act or other statutes that exempt or prohibit disclosure of specific information or records. The Public Records Officer will state the reason each withheld record or redacted portion of a record is exempt from disclosure.

• Common Exemptions RCW 42.56.210 through 42.56.510
• Other Statutes (produced independently by the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC))

In compliance with RCW 42.56.070(9), the Office of Hearing Examiner does not disclose lists of individuals for commercial purposes. A declaration certifying that records containing lists of individuals will not be used for commercial purposes is required prior to their release.

Withdrawn or Abandoned Requests

When the requestor either withdraws the request or fails to fulfill his or her obligations to inspect the records, pay the deposit, or make final payment within thirty days of being requested to do so, the Public Records Officer will close the request and notify the requestor that it has been closed.

Review of Denials

A requestor may submit a written request for review of any denied record to:

Sue Tanner
Public Records Appeals Officer
P.O. Box 94729
Seattle, WA 98124-4729
(206) 684-0521

The appeals officer will respond to the request for review within two business days of receiving it.

Public Records Act

• Link to Chapter 42.56 RCW

Hearing Examiner Records Retention Schedule

• Link to OHE Records Retention Schedule