Washington State's Public Records Act (RCW 42.56) gives you the right to inspect or receive copies of public records of government agencies, including the Health District.

What records are public? A public record is a record that is prepared, used, or maintained by any state or local agency in the course of governing or performing a governmental function.

What public records are available for inspection? Unless the law specifically exempts a record for review, the law requires that all records we maintain are available for public inspection, at our office during a mutually agreed upon time. You are entitled to either inspect the records themselves or you may receive copies of them after paying a copying fee. Records that are available in electronic format may be emailed, however, electronic records which are already available online, should be accessed online.

What we are not required to do? We are not required to collect information or organize data to create a record that didn't exist at the time of your request.

Records requests for commercial purposes. The Public Records Act does not give the authority to public agencies to produce or provide lists for the purpose of commercial use.

Timelines. The Health District is required to respond to a records request in some manner within 5 business days. In some cases, a records request production may take days or weeks to complete. The more precisely you can identify the records you seek, the more responsive we can be.

Questions? Please contact our Public Records Officer during normal working hours at 360-728-2235 with any questions or concerns.