For Consumers

Public records request process

To obtain public records from our office, please fill out the public records request form. Please provide as much detail as possible when requesting specific types of records. Within five business days after receiving your request, the Public Records Office will do one or more of the following:

Provide the requested documents

Typically, we provide documents at no charge electronically by a file transfer site, email or CD. 

It is our priority to provide agency records in a timely and efficient manner. When requested documents are available online, a link or location will be provided.

Please specify if hard copies are required. There is no charge for the first 300 pages. Per state law, we charge $.15 a page, plus shipping, thereafter. We'll send an invoice, and payment is required prior to receiving documents. We will consider your request abandoned and closed if payment is not made within 30 days from the invoice date.

Give you a reasonable estimate of when records will be available

The estimated response time is based on the current volume of requests being processed and the amount of documents involved.

In some circumstances, it will be necessary to release responsive documents to you in installments. If this is the case, we will notify you.

We may need to contact you if the request is unclear or does not sufficiently identify a specific record.

We will provide our fullest assistance in determining what documents are available. In some cases, we may need to revise the estimate of when records will be available.

Make the records available for inspection or copying

You must make arrangements in advance with the Public Records Office to inspect documents in person.

The assembled records must be claimed or reviewed within 30 days of the notification that they are available. If not, the request will be closed.

Documents cannot be removed from the viewing area, disassembled or altered in any way.

Deny the request 

We will deny your request if:

  • The Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner does not collect or maintain the requested information.
  • It is for a list of individuals for a commercial purpose.
  • The information is exempt from public disclosure by law.

We will make every effort to refer you to a resource that may be able to assist you.

In the event your request is for information, we will refer your inquiry to the appropriate staff for a response.

If we deny or partially deny a request, you may ask the public records manager to review the decision. You can mail us your written petition or electronic submission to the public records manager. Please include a copy of our denial in your petition or reasonably identify the public records office's written statement. 

Requests can also be filed by:

Mail: Office of the Insurance Commissioner
Information Governance Unit
PO Box 40255
Olympia, WA 98504-0255

Public Records Officer: Kelly Cairns
Phone: 360-725-7003

Please provide as much detail as possible when requesting specific types of records.

Information we don't collect or maintain

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner does not collect or store records on individual policyholders. 

Check out our public records request FAQs to learn about information we can’t provide and information that’s already publicly available on this website.