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1. What is the Public Records Act (PRA)?

The Public Records Act (PRA) requires that all public records maintained by state and local agencies be made available to all members of the public, with very narrow statutory exemptions. Chapter 42.56 RCW provides the statutory framework for disclosure of public records, while the Washington State Attorney General’s Model Rules on Public Disclosure (chapter 44-14 WAC) provide practical, non-binding, advisory guidance on many issues that may not be clear in the language of the PRA itself.

2. What records are considered public records?

A public record is defined in RCW 42.56.010(3) as any writing that is prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local government agency, and which contains information that relates to the conduct of government, or the performance of any governmental or proprietary function. The term “writing” is broadly defined to include not only traditional written records, but also photos, maps, videos, voicemails, webpage and social media content, emails, text messages and tweets (RCW 42.56.010(4)).

3. Which public records are exempt?

Public Records Act exemptions are found in RCW 42.56.230-.470. Numerous other exemptions and disclosure prohibitions are sprinkled throughout other state and federal statutes.

For a comprehensive list of exemptions, see Appendix C of MRSC's Public Records Act publication. The Code Reviser’s Office also annually publishes a list of exemptions contained in the RCW, which can be accessed on the Attorney General’s Sunshine Committee webpage.

Statutory exemptions must be narrowly applied and (in addition to prohibitions) provide the only basis for withholding public records. Agencies cannot withhold records based on an assertion that release of the records will cause embarrassment to an agency official or employee, and, as a general matter, cannot withhold records based solely upon the identity of the requester (RCW 42.56.080 and RCW 42.56.550(3)).

For further guidance on exemptions and a quick summary of the exemptions most frequently encountered by local government agencies, see MRSC's page on Exemptions and Prohibitions for Local Government Records.

4. Who is the public records officer for Lynden?

The city of Lynden's public records officer is the City Clerk which can be reached at 360-255-7085 or cityhall@lyndenwa.org.

5. Is there a cost for public records?

Public Records Fee Schedule: 

Paper copies	15 cents per page
Scanned copies	10 cents per page
Records uploaded to email, cloud-based storage, CD/DVD or flash drive	5 cents each per every 4 electronic files or attachments
Records transmitted in electronic format	10 cents per gigabyte (GB)
Digital Storage Media Device (CD/DVD, flash drive)	Actual Cost
Envelopes & Postage or Delivery	Actual Cost
Nonstandard copies (over-sized copies, photographs, plans, etc.)	Actual Cost
Any other record not described above	Actual Cost