Guidelines for Charging for Copies of Public Data

The University of Minnesota does not sell information, unless in publication format or as allowed by law.   Minnesota Statutes, Section 13.03. specifies what charges government entities can apply to requests for information. 

These guidelines are generated to assist University offices in setting charges for copies of public data.  All requests for public data, except for personnel and student records, should be forwarded to The Office of Data Access & Privacy for handling under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.  (Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13).

1. Offices should not charge more than $.12/copy of 8.5 x 11 black and white copies.  This is consistent with charges at the University copy center.  Charges of copies of larger documents such as blueprints and plans, or color copies, should reflect the actual cost of the University to make the copy.

2. Offices may not charge employees for copies of their employment records as per M.S. 181.961(d).

3. If the number of documents is over 100, offices may charge for the hourly wage plus benefits of the actual person who is searching and retrieving the documents, in addition to the cost of copies at $.12 per page.

4. If the number of documents is less than 100, offices may not charge for the cost of employee time in retrieving information pursuant to a public records request, but may charge copies at the rate of $.25 per page. 

5. Offices may charge the hourly wage plus benefits of the actual person who does the programming for copies of aggregate electronic data.  This is a one-time charge, and additional requests for the same data may not be charged.