Section 11.4.3. Requests for access to records.

         4.3(1) Location of record. A request for access to a record under the jurisdiction of the department shall be directed to the office where the record is kept. If the location of the record is not known by the requester, the request shall be directed to the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, Hoover State Office Building, Level A, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. The department will forward the request appropriately. If a request for access to a record is misdirected, department personnel will forward the request to the appropriate person within the department.

   4.3(2) Office hours. Open records shall be made available during all customary office hours, which are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.

         4.3(3) Request for access. Requests for access to open records may be made in writing, by telephone or in person. Requests shall identify the particular records sought by name or other personal identifier and description in order to facilitate the location of the record. Requests shall include the name and address of the person requesting the information. A person shall not be required to give a reason for requesting an open record.

         4.3(4) Response to requests. The custodian of records under the jurisdiction of the department is authorized to grant or deny access to a record according to the provisions of this chapter and directions from the department. The decision to grant or deny access may be delegated to one or more designated employees.

Access to an open record shall be granted upon request. Unless the size or nature of the request requires time for compliance, the custodian shall respond to the request as soon as feasible. However, access to an open record may be delayed for one of the purposes authorized by Iowa Code subsection 22.8(4) or 22.10(4). The custodian shall promptly inform the requester of the reason for the delay and an estimate of the length of that delay and, upon request, shall promptly provide that notice to the requester in writing.

The custodian of a record may deny access to the record by members of the public only on the grounds that a denial is warranted under Iowa Code subsection 22.8(4) or 22.10(4), or that it is a confidential record, or that its disclosure is prohibited by a court order. Access by members of the public to a confidential record is limited by law and, therefore, may generally be provided only in accordance with the provisions of rule 4.4(8A,17A,22) and other applicable provisions of law.

         4.3(5) Security of record. No person may, without permission from the custodian, search or remove any record from department files. The custodian or a designee of the custodian shall supervise examination and copying of department records. Records shall be protected from damage and disorganization.

         4.3(6) Copying. A reasonable number of copies of an open record may be made in the department’s office unless printed copies are available. If copying equipment is not available in the office where an open record is kept, the custodian shall permit its examination in that office and shall arrange to have copies promptly made elsewhere, subject to costs.

         4.3(7) Fees.

            a.                When charged. The department is authorized to charge fees in connection with the examination or copying of records in accordance with Iowa Code section 22.3. To the extent permitted by applicable provisions of law, the payment of fees may be waived when the imposition of fees is inequitable or when a waiver is in the public interest.

            b.                Copying and postage costs. Price schedules for regularly published records and for copies of records supplied by the department shall be posted in the department. Copies of records may be made by or for members of the public on department photocopy machines or from electronic storage systems at cost, as determined by and posted in department offices by the custodian. A charge assessed to a current employee for copies of records in the employee’s own official personnel file shall not exceed $5 per request. When the mailing of copies of records is requested, the actual costs of mailing may be charged to the requester.

            c.                Supervisory fee. An hourly fee may be charged for actual department expenses in supervising the examination and copying of requested records when the supervision time required is in excess of one-half hour. The custodian shall prominently post in department offices the hourly fees to be charged for supervision of records during examination and copying. That hourly fee shall not be in excess of the hourly wage of a department clerical employee who ordinarily would be appropriate and suitable to perform this supervisory function.

            d.                Search fees. If the request requires research or if the record or records cannot reasonably be readily retrieved, the requester will be advised of this fact. Reasonable search fees may be charged when appropriate. In addition, all costs for retrieval and copying of information stored in electronic storage systems may be charged to the requester.

            e.                Advance deposits.

             (1)             When the estimated total fee chargeable under this subrule exceeds $25, the custodian may require a requester to make an advance payment to cover all or a part of the estimated fee. Upon completion, the actual fee will be calculated and the difference refunded or collected.

             (2)             When a requester has previously failed to pay a fee chargeable under this subrule, the custodian may require advance payment of the full amount of any estimated fee before the custodian processes a new or pending request for access to records from that requester.