New TN Rules Call for Charges on Records Search

By Todd Hatton

Murray, KY – Government officials in Tennessee are going to be able to charge people asking for public records when it takes more than an hour of staff time to fulfill the request. The state Office of Open Records Counsel issued a fee schedule yesterday that clears the way for records custodians to begin charging hourly rates for staff time spent locating, retrieving, editing or reproducing the records. The Open Records office also set rates for photocopies. Black and white documents will cost 15 cents a page and color copies will be 50 cents. The fee schedule notes that records custodians are allowed to charge less - or entirely waive - the costs of providing copies of public records.