FOIA Policy:
South Carolina Law provides that knowingly obtaining or using personal information from a public body for commercial solicitation is a crime pursuant to S.C. Code §30-2-50.
Pursuant to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), the City of Charleston (“City”) will provide copies of public records in its custody unless the records are exempt from disclosure under S.C. Code §30-4-40 or other state and federal laws.
Fee Schedule & Terms:
Search, retrieval, and redaction of records. Current estimates are as follows:
| Staff Review | Rate |
|---|
| Administrative | $19.24 |
| Manager | $33.88 |
| Director | $66.07 |
| Redaction | $23.86 |
| IT | $32.00 |
| Police Dept. | $20.73 |
Actual hourly salary of lowest paid employee who has the training and skill to respond to the request.
| Item | Rate |
|---|
| Black & White photocopies | $0.10/page |
| Color photocopies | $0.20/page |
| CD or DVD | $5.00 each |
| Flash Drive | $12.00 each |
| Flash Drive - Mailed | $15.00 each |
Large quantities of documents or oversized documents will be sent to an outside vendor for copying, which charges requestor the actual dollar amount for work.
Response Times:
Formal acknowledgement:
- Upon receipt of a request for records under FOIA, the City will review the request to determine whether the records are available and send formal acknowledgement to the Requestor within ten (10) business days for records less than two (2) years old, or within twenty (20) days for records more than two (2) years old. Business days do not include Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays.
Timeline for records furnished or made available:
- If the request is granted, the records will be furnished or made available for inspection or copying no later than thirty (30) calendar days from the date on which the formal acknowledgement was provided, unless the records are more than two (2) years old, in which case they will be made available no later than thirty-five (35) calendar days from the date on which the formal acknowledgement was provided.
Timeline if a deposit is required:
- Records will be furnished or made available for inspection or copying no later than thirty (30) calendar days from the date on which the deposit is received, unless the records are more than two (2) years old, in which case they will be made available no later than thirty-five (35) calendar days from the date on which the deposit was received to fulfill the request. The City may impose reasonable rules concerning time and place of access to records.