Idaho
Public Records Requests (PRR) and Self-Serve Resources
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says anyone can ask to see or receive copies of its records under the Idaho Public Records Act (Idaho Code § 74-102). Its Public Records Request page holds two routes: a formal public records request (PRR), and a list of self-serve resources that link to several DEQ databases. DEQ says information can often be found through those resources in lieu of a formal request.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 does not name a state's records request procedure among its standard record sources. This is DEQ's route to the reports and letters behind the Idaho listings in this section. Five details decide where to start.
- Some documents are in the map tool. Under waste and remediation, DEQ's self-serve list names the Facility Mapper and the Underground Storage Tank database. DEQ's Facility Mapper page says the tool's "Feature Information" tab gives direct access to a site's environmental covenant documents, and that for sites with UST facilities a link in that tab goes directly to the UST-LUST database.
- The map hands off to a request. DEQ says that where more information on a site is needed, the Facility Mapper provides a link to DEQ's public records requests submittal form.
- Issued permits are posted. DEQ's Issued Permits and Water Quality Certifications page is a table that can be filtered by type, Hazardous Waste among the types, and gives each entry's permittee, number or project, type, effective and expiration dates, and a column for its documents.
- Septic records come from the health district. DEQ says to request septic permits, location and drawings through your health district. See Septic system records.
- Some records may not be released. DEQ says some of its records contain confidential information and may not be released, and that these record types are described on page 10 of the Idaho Public Records Law Manual.
Fees
DEQ says Idaho Code § 74-102 authorizes it to establish fees, and its Public Records Request Fee Schedule lists:
- photocopying more than 100 pages on standard 8.5 by 11 inch paper: $0.02 a page in black and white, $0.08 a page in color;
- labor exceeding 2 person hours: $18.21 an hour;
- review by the Office of the Attorney General, where it is required: $36.83 an hour;
- photocopying on other paper sizes, copy-related out-of-pocket costs, records on a CD, DVD, USB flash drive or similar form, and mailing or shipping: actual cost;
- information DEQ sells as a publication at a standard charge: that standard cost.
DEQ also names the cost of hiring a commercial printer to copy large volumes of records and oversized blueprints and plans. It provides electronic copies through its secure portal for public records requests.
To qualify for a fee waiver, DEQ says all four of its conditions must apply: the requester is an Idaho resident; the request is "likely to contribute significantly to the public's understanding of the operations or activities of the government"; the request is not primarily in the requester's individual interest; and the requester has insufficient financial resources to pay the fees. It cites Idaho Code § 74-102(10)(f) and DEQ Policy PS23-06. A fee waiver request form is submitted with the records request.
Getting the file
- Online. DEQ's Public Records Request page has buttons to submit a PRR, track its status and search the PRR archives.
- On paper. DEQ offers a print PRR form that can be mailed, emailed, faxed or hand delivered to DEQ regional offices, and says processing may be slower than for the online form. DEQ's Regional Offices page gives each office's address and phone numbers.
- Questions. publicrecords@deq.idaho.gov, the mailbox the Public Records Request page gives as its staff contact.
What the Act sets
Section 74-102 of the Idaho Code gives every person a right to examine and copy Idaho's public records, unless a statute expressly provides otherwise. The Act, last amended in 2025 according to each section's history, treats residents and nonresidents differently.
- Time. Under section 74-103, an agency must grant or deny a resident's request within three working days of receiving it. If it needs longer to find or retrieve the records, it must say so in writing and provide them within ten working days of the request. For a requester who is neither a resident nor employed by one, the limits are 21 days, and 35 days when the agency needs longer. If an electronic record must first be converted to another format and that cannot be done in time, the agency says so in writing and provides it at a time agreed with the requester. A request not answered in time is deemed denied, and a denial must come in writing, with the statute it relies on and the requester's right to appeal.
- Who is a resident. Section 74-101 counts as a resident a person whose domicile has been in Idaho for at least 30 days in a row, leaving out a full-time student whose residence is in another state, and says a workplace, a vacation home or a part-time residence is not a domicile. A domestic entity under section 30-21-102 is also a resident.
- What a request carries. An agency may require the request in writing, describing the records with a specific date range for when they were created. Every request must also give the requester's name, mailing address, email address and telephone number, and a written declaration under oath of whether the requester is a resident (section 74-102). Section 74-103 says a request goes to the agency's designated custodian and must make clear that it is a public records request, and that an agency owes no answer to a request that fails either requirement.
- Fees. Unless another Idaho law sets a fee, a resident pays nothing for the first two hours of labor or the first 100 pages of paper copies. An agency may set separate fees for requesters who are not residents or employees of residents, up to its actual costs (section 74-102).
This handbook did not read DEQ Policy PS23-06, which DEQ's page names.
Sources
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 12, 2026:
- Public Records Request, last modified August 18, 2026.
- Facility Mapper, last modified January 8, 2026.
- Issued Permits and Water Quality Certifications, last modified May 11, 2026.
- Regional Offices, last modified August 6, 2026.
Idaho State Legislature pages, read October 13, 2026; each section's history lists its latest amendment as 2025, ch. 298: