Title 42 — Title 42 PUBLIC OFFICERS AND AGENCIES
20 chapters · 471 sections in this title.
RCW 42.56.423 Cybersecurity advisory committee and technology services board security subcommittee.
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The reports and information, or any portions thereof, that are designated confidential by the cybersecurity advisory committee under RCW 38.52.040(4) and the technology services board security subcommittee under RCW 43.105.291 are confidential and may not be disclosed under this …
RCW 42.56.425 Election security.
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*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5892.SL) ***(1) The following information related to election security is exempt from disclosure under this chapter:(a) The continuity of operations plan for election operations and any security audits, security risk assessments, or security test resul…
RCW 42.56.430 Fish and wildlife.
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The following information relating to fish and wildlife is exempt from disclosure under this chapter:(1) Commercial fishing catch data from logbooks required to be provided to the department of fish and wildlife under RCW 77.12.047, when the data identifies specific catch locatio…
RCW 42.56.440 Veterans' discharge papers—Exceptions.
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(1) Discharge papers of a veteran of the armed forces of the United States filed at the office of the county auditor before July 1, 2002, that have not been commingled with other recorded documents are exempt from disclosure under this chapter. These records will be available onl…
RCW 42.56.450 Check cashers and sellers licensing applications.
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Information in an application for licensing or a small loan endorsement under chapter 31.45 RCW regarding the personal residential address, telephone number of the applicant, or financial statement is exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2005 c 274 s 425.]
RCW 42.56.460 Fireworks and explosives.
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(1) All records obtained and all reports produced as required by state fireworks law, chapter 70.77 RCW, are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.(2) All records obtained and all reports submitted as required by the Washington state explosives act, chapter 70.74 RCW, are exe…
RCW 42.56.470 Correctional industries workers.
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All records, documents, data, and other materials obtained under the requirements of RCW 72.09.115 from an existing correctional industries class I work program participant or an applicant for a proposed new or expanded class I correctional industries work program are exempt from…
RCW 42.56.475 Department of corrections and private detention facilities.
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(1) The following information or records created or maintained by the department of corrections or a private detention facility is exempt from public inspection and copying under this chapter:(a) Body scanner images from any system designed to detect and visualize contraband hidd…
RCW 42.56.510 Duty to disclose or withhold information—Otherwise provided.
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Nothing in RCW 42.56.250 and 42.56.330 shall affect a positive duty of an agency to disclose or a positive duty to withhold information which duty to disclose or withhold is contained in any other law.[ 2005 c 274 s 287; 1991 c 23 s 11; 1990 c 256 s 2; 1987 c 404 s 3. Formerly RC…
RCW 42.56.520 Prompt responses required.
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(1) Responses to requests for public records shall be made promptly by agencies, the office of the secretary of the senate, and the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives. Within five business days of receiving a public record request, an agency, the office of …
RCW 42.56.530 Review of agency denial.
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Whenever a state agency concludes that a public record is exempt from disclosure and denies a person opportunity to inspect or copy a public record for that reason, the person may request the attorney general to review the matter. The attorney general shall provide the person wit…
RCW 42.56.540 Court protection of public records.
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The examination of any specific public record may be enjoined if, upon motion and affidavit by an agency or its representative or a person who is named in the record or to whom the record specifically pertains, the superior court for the county in which the movant resides or in w…
RCW 42.56.550 Judicial review of agency actions.
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(1) Upon the motion of any person having been denied an opportunity to inspect or copy a public record by an agency, the superior court in the county in which a record is maintained may require the responsible agency to show cause why it has refused to allow inspection or copying…
RCW 42.56.556 Failure to provide recording of school district board of directors meeting.
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The failure to provide a recording of a school district board of directors meeting that is required to be recorded under RCW 42.30.035(2) shall not be a basis for finding that a requester has been denied an opportunity to inspect or copy a public record if the recording, despite …
RCW 42.56.560 Application of RCW 42.56.550.
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The procedures in RCW 42.56.550 govern denials of an opportunity to inspect or copy a public record by the office of the secretary of the senate or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives.[ 2005 c 274 s 289; 1995 c 397 s 16. Formerly RCW 42.17.341.]
RCW 42.56.565 Inspection or copying by persons serving criminal sentences—Injunction.
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(1) A court shall not award penalties under RCW 42.56.550(4) to a person who was serving a criminal sentence in a state, local, or privately operated correctional facility on the date the request for public records was made, unless the court finds that the agency acted in bad fai…
RCW 42.56.570 Explanatory pamphlet—Advisory model rules—Consultation and training services.
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(1) The attorney general's office shall publish, and update when appropriate, a pamphlet, written in plain language, explaining this chapter.(2) The attorney general, by February 1, 2006, shall adopt by rule advisory model rules for state and local agencies, as defined in RCW 42.…
RCW 42.56.580 Public records officers.
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(1) Each state and local agency shall appoint and publicly identify a public records officer whose responsibility is to serve as a point of contact for members of the public in requesting disclosure of public records and to oversee the agency's compliance with the public records …
RCW 42.56.590 Personal information—Notice of security breaches.
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(1) Any agency that owns or licenses data that includes personal information shall disclose any breach of the security of the system to any resident of this state whose personal information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person and the pe…
RCW 42.56.592 Personal information—Covered entities.
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A covered entity under the federal health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996, Title 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1320d et seq., is deemed to have complied with the requirements of this chapter with respect to protected health information if it has complied with section 13402 …
RCW 42.56.594 Personal information—Consumer protection.
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(1) Any waiver of the provisions of RCW 42.56.590 or 42.56.592 is contrary to public policy, and is void and unenforceable.(2)(a) Any consumer injured by a violation of RCW 42.56.590 may institute a civil action to recover damages.(b) Any agency that violates, proposes to violate…
RCW 42.56.600 Mediation communications.
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Records of mediation communications that are privileged under chapter 7.07 RCW are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2006 c 209 s 15.]
RCW 42.56.610 Certain information from dairies and feedlots limited—Rules.
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The following information in plans, records, and reports obtained by state and local agencies from dairies, animal feeding operations, and concentrated animal feeding operations, not required to apply for a national pollutant discharge elimination system permit is disclosable onl…
RCW 42.56.615 Enumeration data used by the office of financial management for population estimates.
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Actual enumeration data collected under RCW 35.13.260, 35A.14.700, 36.13.030, and chapter 43.62 RCW shall be used and retained only by the office of financial management and only for the purposes of RCW 35.13.260, 35A.14.700, 36.13.030, and chapter 43.62 RCW. The enumeration data…
RCW 42.56.620 Cannabis research licensee reports.
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Reports submitted by cannabis research licensees in accordance with rules adopted by the state liquor and cannabis board under RCW 69.50.372 that contain proprietary information are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2022 c 16 s 29; 2015 2nd sp.s. c 4 s 1504; 2015 c 71 s…
RCW 42.56.625 Medical cannabis authorization database.
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Records in the medical cannabis authorization database established in RCW 69.51A.230 containing names and other personally identifiable information of qualifying patients and designated providers are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2022 c 16 s 30; 2015 c 70 s 22.]Note…
RCW 42.56.630 Registration information of members of cooperatives to produce and process medical cannabis.
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(1) Registration information submitted to the state liquor and cannabis board under RCW 69.51A.250 including the names of all participating members of a cooperative, copies of each member's recognition card, location of the cooperative, and other information required for registra…
RCW 42.56.640 Vulnerable individuals, in-home caregivers for vulnerable populations.
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(1) Sensitive personal information of vulnerable individuals and sensitive personal information of in-home caregivers for vulnerable populations is exempt from inspection and copying under this chapter.(2) The following definitions apply to this section:(a) "In-home caregivers fo…
RCW 42.56.645 Release of public information—2017 c 4 (Initiative Measure No. 1501).
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[(1)] Nothing in chapter 4, Laws of 2017 shall prevent the release of public information in the following circumstances:(a) The information is released to a governmental body, including the state's area agencies on aging, and the recipient agrees to protect the confidentiality of…
RCW 42.56.650 Health carrier data.
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(1) Any data submitted by health carriers to the health benefit exchange for purposes of establishing standardized health plans under RCW 43.71.095 are exempt from disclosure under this chapter. This subsection applies to health carrier data in the custody of the insurance commis…
RCW 42.56.655 Explosives exemption report.
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By December 1, 2023, the public records exemptions accountability committee, in addition to its duties in RCW 42.56.140, must prepare and submit a report to the legislature that includes recommendations on whether the exemption created in RCW 42.56.460(2) should be continued, mod…
RCW 42.56.660 Agency employee records.
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(1) Except by court order issued pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, an agency may not disclose as a response to a public records request made pursuant to this chapter records concerning an agency employee, as defined in subsection (5) of this section, if:(a) The requesto…
RCW 42.56.665 Agency employee records—Civil liability.
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(1) Any person who requests and obtains a record concerning an agency employee, as described in RCW 42.56.660, is subject to civil liability if he or she uses the record or information in the record to harass, stalk, threaten, or intimidate that agency employee, or provides the r…
RCW 42.56.670 Agency employee records—Model policies.
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By January 1, 2020, the attorney general, in consultation with state agencies, shall create model policies for the implementation of chapter 373, Laws of 2019.[ 2019 c 373 s 4.]Notes:Effective date—Findings—2019 c 373: See notes following RCW 42.56.660.
RCW 42.56.675 Agency employee records—Lists of names.
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A state agency may not disclose lists of the names of agency employees, as defined under RCW 42.56.660, maintained by the agency in order to administer RCW 42.56.660.[ 2019 c 373 s 5.]Notes:Effective date—Findings—2019 c 373: See notes following RCW 42.56.660.
RCW 42.56.680 Residential real property information and borrower personal information.
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Information obtained by the department of commerce under RCW 61.24.190 that reveals the name or other personal information of the borrower or the street address of the residential real property on which a notice of default was issued is exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[…
RCW 42.56.690 Victim and witness notification program.
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Information and records related to notification or registration for notification as described in RCW 36.28A.455 are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2022 c 82 s 3.]Notes:Effective date—2022 c 82: See note following RCW 72.09.712.
RCW 42.56.692 Victim and witness notification program—Notification enrollment.
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Information and records prepared, owned, used, or retained by the department of corrections that reveal any notification or request for notification regarding any specific individual, or that reveal the identity, location of, or any information submitted by a person who requests …
RCW 42.56.695 Intelligent speed assistance devices.
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Any data collected by an intelligent speed assistance device as defined in RCW 46.04.218 is exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2025 c 228 s 7.]Notes:Intent—Finding—Short title—Effective date—2025 c 228: See notes following RCW 46.20.760.
RCW 42.56.700 Driver training education course voucher program.
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Any recipient income data collected by the department of licensing as part of the driver training education course voucher program established under RCW 46.82.480 is exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2025 c 299 s 12.]Notes:Findings—Intent—2025 c 299: See note following …
RCW 42.56.900 Purpose—2005 c 274 ss 402-429.
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The purpose of sections 402 through 429 of this act is to reorganize the public inspection and copying exemptions in *RCW 42.17.310 through 42.17.31921 by creating smaller, discrete code sections organized by subject matter. The legislature does not intend that this act effectuat…
RCW 42.56.904 Intent—2007 c 391.
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It is the intent of the legislature to clarify that no reasonable construction of chapter 42.56 RCW has ever allowed attorney invoices to be withheld in their entirety by any public entity in a request for documents under that chapter. It is further the intent of the legislature …