---
title: "Table the fee category for an access request"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law/prepare-a-refusal-to-deal-consultation-notice-and-the-processing-estimat/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A31-X20260927-5-US"
practice_area: "Administrative & Public Law"
tier: "red"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Table the fee category for an access request

> Columns are the requester category in the file's words, which of search, duplication, and review that category is limited to, whether the file records a prior failure to pay, and whether the file states a fee above…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law/prepare-a-refusal-to-deal-consultation-notice-and-the-processing-estimat/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Administrative & Public Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Red: Lawyer writes; AI may check, clarify or collect data |
| How AI is used | Columns are the requester category in the file's words, which of search, duplication, and review that category is limited to, whether the file records a prior failure to pay, and whether the file states a fee above $250. Write no sentence of a consultation notice. Do not compute a dollar figure. |
| What the lawyer must review | 5 U.S.C. § 552 requires each agency to promulgate a fee schedule conforming to Office of Management and Budget guidelines. Commercial-use fees are limited to reasonable standard charges for search, duplication, and review. An educational or noncommercial scientific institution, or a representative of the news media, when the request is not for commercial use, is limited to duplication. Any other request is limited to search and duplication. A waiver or reduction applies when disclosure is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. Fees recover only direct costs. Review cost is the initial examination to decide disclosure and withholding, not resolving issues of law or policy. No fee is charged when routine collection and processing are likely to equal or exceed it. Requests under clause (ii)(II) or (III) are not charged for the first two hours of search or the first one hundred pages of duplication. Advance payment is required only if the requester previously failed to pay fees in a timely fashion, or the agency has determined that the fee will exceed $250. You write any notice. Model Rule 1.6 keeps the request file out of a public tool. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Prepare a refusal-to-deal consultation notice and the processing estimate behind it](https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law/prepare-a-refusal-to-deal-consultation-notice-and-the-processing-estimat.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Columns are the requester category in the file's words, which of search, duplication, and review that category is limited to, whether the file records a prior failure to pay, and whether the file states a fee above $250. Write no sentence of a consultation notice. Do not compute a dollar figure.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Do not invent a dollar schedule. The agency's schedule was not opened.
- The public-interest sentence here is the fee-waiver test. It is not an exemption balancing test.
- A page count above 5,000 does not by itself allow the fee. The statute also requires timely unusual-circumstances notice and a discussion, or at least three good-faith attempts, about limiting scope.

## Sources

- [5 U.S.C. § 552, Freedom of Information Act](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/552) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information/) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Request consultation notice for a practical refusal reason](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/administrative-and-public-law/foi-practical-refusal-consultation-notice.md) | Notice | Yellow | A written notice under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) sections 24 and 24AB, with the section 24AA processing matters left for the agency or Minister to assess. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*