Public Information Office
(512) 424-2080
Fees for some commonly-requested Department of Public Safety records (e.g., accident reports, driver records) are set by statute.For all other documents, the Department of Public Safety utilizes the rates established by the Texas Building and Procurement Commission to determine charges for copies of public records.At the discretion of the staff member responding to a request, fees may be waived when there are a minimal number of responsive documents.
When the responsive documents have been identified, a staff member will send a “cost letter” to the requestor.The cost letter includes an itemized statement of any copying, personnel or mailing charges that will be incurred in fulfilling the request.Records are not released until the fees are paid, and if a requestor does not respond to a cost letter within fifteen (15) days, the file will be closed.
In some cases, particularly those involving large numbers of records or records containing confidential information that must be redacted prior to release, the Department will only be able to estimate the charges.In such instances, a cost letter will be sent clearly advising the requestor of the amount of the estimate, how the amount was calculated and that the final cost might be up to 20% higher than the estimate.
Where estimated costs exceed $100, the requestor will be required to make a deposit before any records are copied.Typically, the deposit will be equal to the estimated cost of reproducing the requested records.
Note: Report issued in response to requirements of Texas Government Code, Section 552.274(c).
