45 CFR § 2105.35 - What general principles govern fees?

(a) The Agency will charge for processing requests under the FOIA in accordance with this subpart and with the OMB Fee Guidelines.

(b) The Agency may contact you for additional information to resolve fee issues.

(c) The Agency ordinarily will collect all applicable fees before sending copies of records to you.

(d) You may usually pay fees by check, certified check, or money order made payable to the “Department of Treasury.”

(e) The Agency should ensure that it conducts searches, review, and duplication in the most efficient and the least expensive manner so as to minimize costs for both you and the Agency.

(f) If the Agency does not comply with any of the FOIA's statutory time limits:

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (f)(2) of this section, the Agency cannot assess any search fees (or, if you are in the fee category of a representative of the news media or an educational and noncommercial scientific institution, duplication fees).

(2)

(i) If the Agency has determined that unusual circumstances apply (as the term is defined in § 2105.67) and the Agency provided you a timely written notice to extend the basic time limit in accordance with § 2105.17, the noncompliance is excused for an additional 10 workdays.

(ii) If the Agency has determined that unusual circumstances apply and more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to the request, the noncompliance is excused if the Agency has provided you a timely written notice in accordance with § 2105.17 and has discussed with you via written mail, email, or telephone (or made not less than 3 good-faith attempts to do so) how you could effectively limit the scope of the request.

(iii) If a court has determined that exceptional circumstances exist (as that term is defined in § 2105.67), the noncompliance is excused for the length of time provided by the court order.

(g) If the fee for processing your request is less than $50, you will not be charged unless multiple requests are aggregated under § 2105.52 to an amount that is $50 or more.

(h) If you fail to pay any FOIA-related fee within 30 calendar days of the date of billing, the processing of any new or ongoing requests and/or appeals from you shall ordinarily be suspended.

(i) If you would like to reformulate your request so it will meet your needs at a lower cost, you may wish to seek assistance from the Agency's designated FOIA contact or its FOIA Public Liaison (see § 2105.63).