March 10th 2026 |
Photo – Carbon County Seal
Officials in Carbon County are working to update public‑records fees to reflect the actual cost of fulfilling requests.
During the March 3rd commissioners meeting, County Attorney Ashley Davis presented a resolution to amend public‑records request prices. Attorney Davis said the new fee schedule more closely matches the county’s cost to handle those requests.
Under the proposed fee schedule, photocopies will remain 50 cents per side for black‑and‑white copies and 75 cents for color. However, labor rates will rise, with clerical costs increasing from $16 to $20 an hour and professional labor, including department heads, elected officials, and IT staff, going from $31 to $41 an hour.
Attorney Ashley Davis said the higher prices still don’t reflect the true cost to the county, but will help offset some of the expense.
Attorney Davis said the proposed rates follow updates to the Wyoming Public Records Act and a push by state lawmakers and Public Records Ombudsman Darlena Potter to standardize fee structures across local governments.
As well as increasing labor costs, the county attorney said the new fee schedule also clarifies public records request timelines. While the county still has 30 days to produce documents under state law, the resolution specifies that a submission may be denied if the applicant fails to provide information in a timely manner.
Specifically, the resolution states that public‑records submissions lacking accurate information, or involving non‑responsive applicants, will close three business days after the applicant is notified that additional information is required.
At the March 3rd Board of Commissioners meeting, Attorney Davis said that since the county began handling all records requests online, the number of applications has risen dramatically. The proposed fee schedule will help cover the cost of meeting those demands.
A draft copy of the newly proposed public records fees can be found on the official Carbon County website. A direct link to the resolution will be included in this story when it is posted to the Bigfoot99 website later today. (see below)
The Board of Commissioners approved the draft fee schedule and opened a 45‑day public comment period on the proposal.
Proposed Public Records Request Fee Schedule Resolution: https://www.carboncountywy.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8451/Resolution-No-2026-xx—Public-Records-Fees-22726
