FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT POLICY AND FEE SCHEDULE

S.C. Law provides that it is a crime to knowingly obtain or use personal information from a public body for commercial solicitation.

Pursuant to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, the Landrum Area Fire and Rescue District (“District”) will provide copies of public records in its custody unless the records are exempt from disclosure under S.C. Code of Laws §30-4-40 or other state or federal laws. All Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests should directed to:

Landrum Area Fire and Rescue District
ATTN: Chief Warren Ashmore (FOIA)
200 N. Trade Ave
Landrum, SC 29356
Email: warren.ashmore@landrumfire.com

Upon receipt of a written request for records under FOIA, the District will determine if the records are available. The District will notify the requestor of this determination in writing within ten (10) business days for records less than two (2) years old, or within twenty (20) business days for records more than two (2) years old. Business days means excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays.

If the search/retrieval time is less than half an hour and/or the total number of documents responsive to the FOIA request is ten (10) pages or less, no reproduction fee will be charged.

If the District determines that the requested records are available and are not exempt from disclosure, the records will be furnished to the requestor within thirty (30) calendar days of the written determination, or within thirty-five (35) calendar days, if the records are more than two years old.

A DEPOSIT MAY BE REQUIRED prior to searching for and/or coping records pursuant to a FOIA request (25% of reasonably anticipated cost for reproduction of the records), if search and retrieval time is greater than thirty (30) minutes and/or the number of pages to be produced is greater than ten (10) pages. The balance must be paid at time of production.

If the District requires a deposit prior to searching for or making copies of the records, then the records will be furnished within thirty (30) calendar days of when the deposit is received. If the records are more than two years old, the records will be furnished within thirty-five (35) calendar days of when the deposit is received.

Applicable documents detailed in §30-4-30(D) will be made available for public inspection and copying during the District’s regular hours of operation (Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., except holidays or other days established by the Commission to address special circumstances) without the requestor being required to make a written request to inspect or copy the records when the requestor appears in person. This provision does not apply to records exempt pursuant to §30-4-40 or other state or federal laws.

Pursuant to S.C. Code of Laws §30-4-30(B), fulfillment of FOIA requests is subject to fees for search and retrieval, as well as fees for providing copies of documents.

This policy may be amended from time-to-time to reflect changes in state law and policies and procedures established by the Landrum Area Fire and Rescue District Commission to carry out the District’s functions.

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FEE SCHEDULE

	Minutes/Hours	x Rate	= Cost
Search/Retrieval Time There is no retrieval charge for records retrieved and copied within ½ hour or less.	0.00	$35.76 per/hr	0.00
Copies There is no charge for copies of records if the total number of pages responsive to the FOIA Request is 10 pages or less. **If an electronic version of a record is available, and the requestor elects to receive the record electronically, then there will be no charge for copies. If an electronic version of a public record does not exist, the District is not required to create one to fulfill a records request.	Number of Pages	Unit Price
Black and White Paper records/standard reports 8.5×11		$0.10/page	0.00
Color Paper Records/standard reports 8.5×11		$0.50/page	0.00
Standard maps/plots up to 11″ x 17″ black and white		$0.50/each	0.00
Standard maps/plots up to 11″ x 17″ color		$1.00/each	0.00
Standard maps/plots larger than 11″x 17″		$5.00/each	0.00
Microfiche/microfilm copies		$0.10/each	0.00
CD/DVD		$1.00/each	0.00
Flash Drive		Not to exceed generally accepted market rate for storage media based on size needed to fulfill FOIA request	0.00
TOTAL COST			0.00
* At the sole discretion of the District, any portion of the rates and charges provided in this fee schedule (as may be amended from time to time) may be reduced or waived. **Please note that if the requested records are not in an electronic format, and our office agrees to transfer the documents to an electronic format, then there will be a charge for the staff time required to transfer the documents to an electronic format.

 

Policy Adopted on August 23, 2021