Title 42 — Title 42 PUBLIC OFFICERS AND AGENCIES
20 chapters · 471 sections in this title.
RCW 42.52.575 Information about scholarship opportunities.
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This chapter does not prohibit the department of labor and industries from providing information about scholarship opportunities offered by nonprofit organizations and available to children and spouses of workers who suffered an injury in the course of employment resulting in dea…
RCW 42.52.800 Exemptions—Solicitation for state capitol historic furnishings and preservation and restoration of state legislative building.
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(1) When soliciting charitable gifts, grants, or donations solely for the limited purposes of RCW 27.48.040, members of the capitol furnishings preservation committee are exempt from the laws of this chapter.(2) When soliciting charitable gifts, grants, or donations solely for th…
RCW 42.52.802 Exemption—Solicitation for Washington state legacy project, state library, and archives account.
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This chapter does not prohibit the secretary of state or a designee from soliciting and accepting contributions to the Washington state legacy project, state library, and archives account created in RCW 43.07.380.[ 2008 c 222 s 14; 2003 c 164 s 4.]Notes:Purpose—2008 c 222: See no…
RCW 42.52.8021 Exemption—Solicitation for Washington state flag account.
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This chapter does not prohibit the secretary of state or the secretary of state's designee from soliciting and accepting contributions to the Washington state flag account created in *RCW 43.07.388.[ 2009 c 71 s 3.]Notes:*Reviser's note: RCW 43.07.388 was repealed by 2025 c 399 s…
RCW 42.52.8022 Exemption—Informational or educational meetings regarding legislative issues.
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This chapter does not prohibit state employees from attending informational or educational meetings regarding legislative issues with a legislator or other elected official. It is not a violation of this chapter to hold such meetings in public facilities, including state-owned or…
RCW 42.52.8023 Exemption—Gina Grant Bull memorial legislative page scholarship account.
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This chapter does not prohibit the secretary of the senate, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, or their designee from soliciting and accepting contributions to the Gina Grant Bull memorial legislative page scholarship account created in RCW 44.04.380. Furthermore, t…
RCW 42.52.8024 Exemption—Rosa Franklin legislative internship program scholarship.
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This chapter does not prohibit the secretary of the senate, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, or their designee from soliciting and accepting contributions to the Rosa Franklin legislative internship program scholarship account created in RCW 44.04.410. Furthermore…
RCW 42.52.803 Exemption—Solicitation for legislative oral history account.
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This chapter does not prohibit the secretary of the senate, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, or their designee from soliciting and accepting contributions to the legislative oral history account created in RCW 44.04.345.[ 2008 c 222 s 2.]Notes:Purpose—2008 c 222: …
RCW 42.52.804 Exemption—Health profession board or commission—Professional opinions.
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Members of a health profession board or commission as identified in RCW 18.130.040(2)(b) may express their professional opinions to an elected official about the work of the board or commission on which the member serves, even if those opinions differ from the department of healt…
RCW 42.52.805 Solicitation for charitable activities of executive branch state employees—Limitations—Definitions.
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(1) When soliciting gifts, grants, or donations solely to support the charitable activities of executive branch state employees conducted pursuant to RCW 9.46.0209, the executive branch state officers and executive branch state employees are presumed not to be in violation of the…
RCW 42.52.806 Exemption—Solicitation for Billy Frank Jr. national statuary hall collection fund.
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This chapter does not prohibit the members of the Billy Frank Jr. national statuary hall selection committee, members of the legislature, when outside the period in which solicitation of contributions is prohibited by RCW 42.17A.560, or employees of the Washington state historica…
RCW 42.52.807 Exemption—Advising on student athlete name, image, and likeness.
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This chapter does not prohibit the use of public resources, including but not limited to the use of personnel, money, and property, by an employee of a state institution of higher education to benefit any student athlete in the advising, facilitation, acknowledgment, or education…
RCW 42.52.810 Solicitation for the legislative international trade account—Report.
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(1) When soliciting charitable gifts, grants, or donations solely for the legislative international trade account created in RCW 43.15.050, the president of the senate is presumed not to be in violation of the solicitation and receipt of gift provisions in RCW 42.52.150(3).(2) Wh…
RCW 42.52.820 Solicitation for hosting national legislative association conference.
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When soliciting gifts, grants, or donations to host an official conference within the state of Washington of a national legislative association as approved by both the chief clerk and the secretary of the senate, designated legislative officials and designated legislative employe…
RCW 42.52.821 Exemption—Solicitation to host conference of a national association.
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When soliciting gifts, grants, or donations to host an official conference within the state of Washington of a national association as approved by the state treasurer, the treasurer and designated employees are presumed not to be in violation of the solicitation and receipt of gi…
RCW 42.52.822 Exemption—Solicitation for regional or national legislative association conferences.
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(1) When soliciting gifts, grants, or donations to a regional or national legislative association for an official conference held outside the state of Washington, legislators who serve as elected leaders of the association and designated legislative employees are presumed not to …
RCW 42.52.900 Legislative declaration.
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Government derives its powers from the people. Ethics in government are the foundation on which the structure of government rests. State officials and employees of government hold a public trust that obligates them, in a special way, to honesty and integrity in fulfilling the res…
RCW 42.52.901 Liberal construction.
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This chapter shall be construed liberally to effectuate its purposes and policy and to supplement existing laws as may relate to the same subject.[ 1994 c 154 s 301.]
RCW 42.52.903 Serving on board, committee, or commission not prevented.
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Nothing in this chapter shall be interpreted to prevent a member of a board, committee, advisory commission, or other body required or permitted by statute to be appointed from any identifiable group or interest, from serving on such body in accordance with the intent of the legi…
RCW 42.52.904 Effective date—1994 c 154.
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Sections 101 through 121, 203, 204, 207 through 224, and 301 through 317 of this act shall take effect January 1, 1995.[ 1994 c 154 s 319.]
RCW 42.52.906 Construction—Chapter applicable to state registered domestic partnerships—2009 c 521.
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For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …
RCW 42.56.001 Finding, purpose.
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The legislature finds that *chapter 42.17 RCW contains laws relating to several discrete subjects. Therefore, the purpose of chapter 274, Laws of 2005 is to recodify some of those laws and create a new chapter in the Revised Code of Washington that contains laws pertaining to pub…
RCW 42.56.010 Definitions.
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The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Agency" includes all state agencies and all local agencies. "State agency" includes every state office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or other state…
RCW 42.56.020 Short title.
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This chapter may be known and cited as the public records act.[ 2005 c 274 s 102.]
RCW 42.56.030 Construction.
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The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on rema…
RCW 42.56.040 Duty to publish procedures.
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(1) Each state agency shall separately state and currently publish in the Washington Administrative Code and each local agency shall prominently display and make available for inspection and copying at the central office of such local agency, for guidance of the public:(a) Descri…
RCW 42.56.050 Invasion of privacy, when.
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A person's "right to privacy," "right of privacy," "privacy," or "personal privacy," as these terms are used in this chapter, is invaded or violated only if disclosure of information about the person: (1) Would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, and (2) is not of legitim…
RCW 42.56.060 Disclaimer of public liability.
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No public agency, public official, public employee, or custodian shall be liable, nor shall a cause of action exist, for any loss or damage based upon the release of a public record if the public agency, public official, public employee, or custodian acted in good faith in attemp…
RCW 42.56.070 Documents and indexes to be made public—Statement of costs.
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(1) Each agency, in accordance with published rules, shall make available for public inspection and copying all public records, unless the record falls within the specific exemptions of subsection (8) of this section, this chapter, or other statute which exempts or prohibits disc…
RCW 42.56.080 Identifiable records—Facilities for copying—Availability of public records.
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(1)(a) A public records request must be for identifiable records. A request for all or substantially all records prepared, owned, used, or retained by an agency is not a valid request for identifiable records under this chapter, provided that a request for all records regarding a…
RCW 42.56.090 Times for inspection and copying—Posting on website.
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Public records shall be available for inspection and copying during the customary office hours of the agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, and the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives for a minimum of thirty hours per week, except weeks that inc…
RCW 42.56.100 Protection of public records—Public access.
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Agencies shall adopt and enforce reasonable rules and regulations, and the office of the secretary of the senate and the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives shall adopt reasonable procedures allowing for the time, resource, and personnel constraints associat…
RCW 42.56.110 Destruction of information relating to employee misconduct.
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Nothing in this chapter prevents an agency from destroying information relating to employee misconduct or alleged misconduct, in accordance with RCW 41.06.450, to the extent necessary to ensure fairness to the employee.[ 1982 c 208 s 13. Formerly RCW 42.17.295.]
RCW 42.56.120 Charges for copying.
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(1) No fee shall be charged for the inspection of public records or locating public documents and making them available for copying, except as provided in RCW 42.56.240(14) and subsection (3) of this section. A reasonable charge may be imposed for providing copies of public recor…
RCW 42.56.130 Other provisions not superseded.
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The provisions of RCW * 42.56.070 (7) and (8) and 42.56.120 that establish or allow agencies to establish the costs charged for photocopies or electronically produced copies of public records do not supersede other statutory provisions, other than in this chapter, authorizing or …
RCW 42.56.140 Public records exemptions accountability committee.
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(1)(a) The public records exemptions accountability committee is created to review exemptions from public disclosure, with thirteen members as provided in this subsection.(i) The governor shall appoint two members, one of whom represents the governor and one of whom represents lo…
RCW 42.56.141 Public records exemptions accountability committee—Wolf depredation information exemption.
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By December 1, 2021, 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 exemptions created in section 1, chapter 246, Laws of 2017 sho…
RCW 42.56.150 Training—Local elected and statewide elected officials.
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(1) Each local elected official and statewide elected official, and each person appointed to fill a vacancy in a local or statewide office, must complete a training course regarding the provisions of this chapter, and also chapter 40.14 RCW for records retention.(2) Officials req…
RCW 42.56.152 Training—Public records officers.
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(1) Public records officers designated under RCW 42.56.580 and records officers designated under RCW 40.14.040 must complete a training course regarding the provisions of this chapter, and also chapter 40.14 RCW for records retention.(2) Public records officers must:(a) Complete …
RCW 42.56.155 Assistance by attorney general.
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The attorney general's office may provide information, technical assistance, and training on the provisions of this chapter.[ 2014 c 66 s 5.]Notes:Findings—Short title—Effective date—2014 c 66: See notes following RCW 42.56.150.
RCW 42.56.210 Certain personal and other records exempt.
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(1) Except for information described in *RCW 42.56.230(3)(a) and confidential income data exempted from public inspection pursuant to RCW 84.40.020, the exemptions of this chapter are inapplicable to the extent that information, the disclosure of which would violate personal priv…
RCW 42.56.230 Personal information.
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*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 6106.SL) ****** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 6081-S.SL) ***The following personal information is exempt from public inspection and copying under this chapter:(1) Personal information in any files maintained for students in public schools, patients or client…
RCW 42.56.235 Religious affiliation exemption.
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All records that relate to or contain personally identifying information about an individual's religious beliefs, practices, or affiliation are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2018 c 303 s 7.]
RCW 42.56.240 Investigative, law enforcement, and crime victims.
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*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2508-S.SL) ***The following investigative, law enforcement, and crime victim information is exempt from public inspection and copying under this chapter:(1) Specific intelligence information and specific investigative records compiled by investigative,…
RCW 42.56.250 Employment and licensing.
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(1) The following employment and licensing information is exempt from public inspection and copying under this chapter:(a) Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data used to administer a license, employment, or academic examination;(b) All applications for public em…
RCW 42.56.260 Real estate transactions.
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(1) Subject to the time limitations in subsection (2) of this section, the following documents relating to an agency's real estate transactions are exempt from public inspection and copying under this chapter:(a) Except as provided by chapter 8.26 RCW, the contents of real estate…
RCW 42.56.270 Financial, commercial, and proprietary information.
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*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2325-S2.SL) ***The following financial, commercial, and proprietary information is exempt from disclosure under this chapter:(1) Valuable formulae, designs, drawings, computer source code or object code, and research data obtained by any agency within …
RCW 42.56.280 Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, intra-agency memorandums.
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Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, and intra-agency memorandums in which opinions are expressed or policies formulated or recommended are exempt under this chapter, except that a specific record is not exempt when publicly cited by an agency in connection with any agency…
RCW 42.56.290 Agency party to controversy.
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Records that are relevant to a controversy to which an agency is a party but which records would not be available to another party under the rules of pretrial discovery for causes pending in the superior courts are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.[ 2005 c 274 s 409.]
RCW 42.56.300 Archaeological sites.
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(1) Records, maps, or other information identifying the location of archaeological sites in order to avoid the looting or depredation of such sites are exempt from disclosure under this chapter.(2) Records, maps, and other information, acquired during watershed analysis pursuant …