[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR7.42]

[Page 67-68]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
          Subtitle A--Office of the Secretary of Transportation
 
PART 7_PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION--Table of Contents
 
                             Subpart F_Fees
 
Sec.  7.42  Payment of fees.

    (a) The fees prescribed in this subpart may be paid by check, draft, 
or money order, payable to the DOT component

[[Page 68]]

where fees were incurred, for deposit in the General Fund of the 
Treasury of the United States, e.g. DOT/FAA.
    (b) Charges may be assessed by DOT for time spent searching for 
requested records even if the search fails to locate records or the 
records located are determined to be exempt from disclosure. In 
addition, if records are requested for commercial use, DOT may assess a 
fee for time spent reviewing any responsive records located to determine 
whether they are exempt from disclosure.
    (c) When it is estimated that the search charges, review charges, 
duplication fees, or any combination of fees that could be charged to 
the requestor will likely exceed US $25, the requestor will be notified 
of the estimated amount of the fees, unless the requestor has indicated 
in advance his or her willingness to pay fees as high as those 
anticipated. In cases where a requestor has been notified that actual or 
estimated fees may amount to more than US $25, the request will be 
deemed not to have been received until the requestor has agreed to pay 
the anticipated total fee. The notice will also inform the requestor how 
to consult with the appropriate DOT officials with the object of 
reformulating the request to meet his or her needs at a lower cost.
    (d) Payment of fees may be required prior to actual duplication or 
delivery of any releasable records to a requestor. However, advance 
payment, i.e., before work is commenced or continued on a request, may 
not be required unless:
    (1) Allowable charges that a requestor may be required to pay are 
likely to exceed US $250; or
    (2) The requestor has failed to pay within 30 days of the billing 
date fees charged for a previous request to any part of DOT.
    (e) When paragraph (d)(1) of this section applies, the requestor 
will be notified of the likely cost and, where he/she has a history of 
prompt payment of FOIA fees, requested to furnish satisfactory assurance 
of full payment of FOIA fees. Where the requestor does not have any 
history of payment, he or she may be required to make advance payment of 
any amount up to the full estimated charges.
    (f) When paragraph (d)(2) of this section applies, the requestor 
will be required to demonstrate that the fee has, in fact, been paid or 
to pay the full amount owed, including any applicable interest, late 
handling charges, and penalty charges as discussed in paragraphs (g) and 
(h) of this section. The requestor will also be required to make an 
advance payment of the full amount of the estimated fee before 
processing of a new request or continuation of a pending request is 
begun.
    (g) DOT will assess interest on an unpaid bill starting on the 31st 
day following the day on which the notice of the amount due is first 
mailed to the requestor. Interest will accrue from the date of the 
notice of amount due and will be at the rate prescribed in 31 U.S.C. 
3717. Receipt by DOT of a payment for the full amount of the fees owed 
within 30 calendar days after the date of the initial billing will stay 
the accrual of interest, even if the payment has not been processed.
    (h) If payment of fees charged is not received within 30 calendar 
days after the date the initial notice of the amount due is first mailed 
to the requestor, an administrative charge will be assessed by DOT to 
cover the cost of processing and handling the delinquent claim. In 
addition, a penalty charge will be applied with respect to any principal 
amount of a debt that is more than 90 days past due. Where appropriate, 
other steps permitted by Federal debt collection statutes, including 
disclosure to consumer reporting agencies and use of collection 
agencies, will be used by DOT to encourage payment of amounts overdue.
    (i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subpart, when the 
total amount of fees that could be charged for a particular request (or 
aggregation of requests) under subpart C of this part, after taking into 
account all services that must be provided free of, or at a reduced, 
charge, is less than US $10.00 DOT will not make any charge for fees.