49 CFR § 7.43 - When are fees waived or reduced for records requested under subpart C of this part?
(a) DOT does not charge fees to any requester making a request under subpart C of this part for the following services:
(1) Services for which the total amount of fees that could be charged for the particular request (or aggregation of requests) is less than US $20, after taking into account all services that must be provided free of charge or at a reduced charge.
(2) The first two hours of search time, unless the records are requested for commercial use.
(3) Duplication of the first 100 pages (standard paper, not larger than 8.5 × 14 inches) of records, unless the records are requested for commercial use.
(4) Review time spent determining whether a record is exempt from disclosure, unless the record is requested for commercial use. DOT does not charge for review time except with respect to an initial review to determine the applicability of a particular exemption to a particular record or portion of a record. DOT does not charge for review at the administrative appeal level. However, when records or portions of records withheld under an exemption that is subsequently determined not to apply are reviewed again to determine the applicability of other exemptions not previously considered, this is considered an initial review for purposes of assessing a review charge.
(b) When DOT aggregates requests as provided in § 7.34(d), DOT charges each requester a ratable portion of the fees charged for combined services rendered on behalf of all requesters.
(c) DOT waives or reduces the fees described in § 7.42(i) and (j) when the requester makes a fee waiver or reduction request as provided in § 7.24(b) and establishes that disclosure of the information is in the public interest as provided in 5 U.S.C. 552 and this paragraph, and the DOT official having initial denial authority determines that disclosure of the information is in the public interest and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. The requester must establish all of the following factors to DOT's satisfaction to show that the request is in the public interest:
(1) That the subject matter of the requested records concerns the operations or activities of the Federal Government;
(2) That the disclosure is likely to contribute to an understanding of Federal Government operations or activities;
(3) That disclosure of the requested information will contribute to the understanding of the public at large, as opposed to the understanding of the individual requester or a narrow segment of interested persons (to establish this factor, the requester must show an intent and ability to disseminate the requested information to a reasonably broad audience of persons interested in the subject);
(4) That the contribution to public understanding of Federal Government operations or activities will be significant; and
(5) That the requester does not have a commercial interest that would be furthered by the requested disclosure or that the magnitude of any identified commercial interest to the requester is not sufficiently large in comparison with the public interest in disclosure to render the disclosure one that is primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.
(d) DOT furnishes documents without charge or at a reduced charge when the official having initial denial authority determines that the request concerns records related to the death of an immediate family member who was, at the time of death, a DOT employee.
(e) DOT furnishes documents without charge or at a reduced charge when the official having initial denial authority determines that the request is by the victim of a crime who seeks the record of the trial at which the requester testified.
(f) Except as provided in paragraphs (f)(1) through (3) of this section, DOT does not assess search fees otherwise chargeable under § 7.42(h) and (j) or duplication fees otherwise chargeable under § 7.42(i) when DOT fails to comply with the time limits under § 7.31 or § 7.33.
(1) If DOT has determined that unusual circumstances apply (as defined in § 7.34(a)), 5,000 pages or less are necessary to respond to the request, and DOT has provided a timely written notice to the requester in accordance with § 7.34(a), a failure to comply with the time limits under § 7.31 or § 7.33 is excused for an additional 10 days. If DOT does not comply with the extended time limit, DOT does not assess search fees otherwise chargeable under § 7.42(h) and (j) or duplication fees otherwise chargeable under § 7.24(i);
(2) If DOT has determined that unusual circumstances apply (as defined under § 7.34(a)) and more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to the request, DOT may charge search fees under § 7.42(h) and (j) or duplication fees under § 7.42(j) if DOT has provided timely written notice to the requester in accordance with § 7.34(a) and (b), and DOT has discussed with the requester via written mail, electronic mail, or telephone (or made not less than three good faith attempts to do so) how the requester could effectively limit the scope of the request.
(3) If a court determines that exceptional circumstances exist (as that term is defined in 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(C)), failure to comply with time limits under § 7.31 or § 7.33 shall be excused for the length of time provided by the court order.