Copy Rates
Governmental bodies shall release requested information as promptly as possible, unless the information is exempt from disclosure under the Public Information Act. The City of Austin uses the rates established by the Office of the Attorney General to determine charges for copies of public records. At the discretion of the staff member responding to a request, fees may be waived when there are a minimal number of responsive documents.
Requests Exceeding $40
If the cost of a request is expected to exceed $40, a staff member will send an estimate letter to the requestor. The letter will include an itemized statement of any copying, personnel or mailing charges that will be incurred in fulfilling the request. Once the requestor confirms that he or she agrees to the estimated costs, a staff member will begin compiling the records. If a requestor does not respond within 10 days, the file will be closed.
Requests Exceeding $100
Where estimated costs exceed $100, the requestor will be required to make a deposit before any records are copied. Typically, the deposit will be equal to the estimated cost of reproducing the requested records.
Common Charges
- Paper (single-sided, black and white, standard size) - $0.10 / page
- Oversize paper, not including maps and photographs - $0.50 / page
- CD - $1 each
- Diskette - $1 each
- Audio cassette - $1 each
- VHS cassette - $2.50 each
- DVD - $3 each
Labor Charges
- Personnel time for locating, compiling and reproducing records (if less than 50 pages of paper copies are requested, no personnel costs are charged) - $15 / hour
- Computer Programming - $28.50 / hour
- Overhead - 20% of the personnel or programming charge
