Public Records Requests

PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST PROCESS

In 1972, the voters of the State of Washington adopted Initiative 276. This law requires that identifiable, non-exempt records maintained by the State, County and all City governments be made available to members of the public. These disclosure statutes can be found in RCW Chapter 42.56, and the statutes are now referred to as the Public Records Act. The City of Tukwila is a Washington municipal corporation that provides the full range of municipal services through various City departments.

The City Clerk is the Public Records Officer for the City of Tukwila. The Public Records Officer will oversee compliance with the Public Records Act and may designate other City staff members to process requests for public records.

The procedures of the City of Tukwila have been established to provide the public full and timely access to information concerning the conduct of government, mindful of individuals’ privacy rights and the desirability of efficient administration of our City government. The Public Records Act and the City’s processes will be interpreted in favor of full disclosure.

All agency records are available for review by the public unless they are specifically exempted or prohibited from disclosure by State law, either directly in RCW Chapter 42.56 or other applicable statutes. The Washington State Attorney General’s Office provides information on current exemptions and prohibitions on their website.

The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) requires a prompt response to all requests for public record. Within five business days, the City must:

1. Make the record available for inspection or copying; or
2. Provide an internet address and link on the agency’s website to the specific records requested; or
3. Acknowledge that the request has been received and provide a reasonable estimate when records will be available; or
4. Request clarification and to the greatest extent possible, provide an estimate of the time to respond if the request is not clarified; or
5. Deny the request and provide a statutory reason as to why the request is being denied.

Public records will be made available for inspection based upon a mutually agreed upon schedule by City staff and the requester.

Copies of records can be requested after the review is completed or may be requested without a cursory review of the files. A fee of $0.10 cents per single-sided copy and $0.20 cents per double-sided copy and $1.00 per page for oversized documents will be charged. Any other type of duplication outside City resources (photographic, color, etc.) will be billed directly to the requestor. Review of records and/or payment must be made within 30 days of notification of availability or the request will be closed.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO REVIEW THE FULL PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST POLICY

PUBLIC RECORDS FORMS & CONTACT INFORMATION

For all Public Records Requests, please select the appropriate form below.

• Police
• Municipal Court
• Fire
• Community Development
• General Requests

General Requests Involving Multiple Departments

General public records requests and/or those that may involve multiple City Departments:

• City of Tukwila Public Records Request Form

Contact Information:

Tukwila Public Records Officer
City Clerk’s Office
6200 Southcenter Blvd.
Tukwila, WA 98188
Telephone: 206-433-1800
FAX: 206-433-1833
Email: TukwilaCityClerk@tukwilawa.gov

Community Development Permit & Land Use Requests

Department of Community Development (DCD) permit and land use files:

• DCD Land Use and Permit Records Request Form

Contact Information:

Tukwila Department of Community Development
Attention: Public Records Requests
6300 Southcenter Blvd.
Tukwila, WA 98188
Telephone: 206-431-3670
FAX: 206-431-3665
Email: DCDRecordsRequest@TukwilaWA.gov

Fire Only Requests

If you wish to make a public records request regarding the work of Tukwila Fire staff now a part of the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority from 1/1/2023 and forward, please use the following link to the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Public Records Request Webpage.

If you wish to make a public records request to the City of Tukwila for fire records through 12/31/2022, please complete 1 of the 2 forms shown below:

1. For Fire Department records pertaining to fire protection systems plans, aboveground/underground commercial tanks, operational permits, and fire inspections up to 12/31/2022:   Fire Marshal’s Office Records Request Form

2. For Fire Department records pertaining to incident reports (Fire and Aid calls) up to 12/31/2022:   Fire Department Incident Reports Only

Email completed records request forms 1 and/or 2 to: FireRecordsRequest@TukwilaWA.gov

Police Only Requests

Police Department accident, incident and case reports:

• Police Department Records Request Center

Contact Information:

Tukwila Police Records Division
Attention: Public Records Requests
15005 Tukwila International Blvd
Tukwila, WA 98188
Telephone: 206-433-1808
FAX: 206-244-6181
Email: PDRecords@TukwilaWA.gov

Municipal Court Only Requests

Municipal Court case reports, etc.:

• Municipal Court Customer Support Portal (Select Records Request in Issue Category)

Contact Information:

Tukwila Municipal Court
Attention: Request for Access to Court Records
15005 Tukwila International Blvd.
Tukwila, WA 98188
Telephone: 206-433-1840
FAX: 206-433-7160
Email: Court@tukwilawa.gov