A request should indicate the fee category. If the requester does not indicate a fee category, or it is unclear to the FOIA office, the FOIA office will make a determination of the fee category based on the request. If the requester does not agree with their determination, he/she will be afforded the opportunity to provide information to support a different fee category.

If the request is submitted on behalf of another person or organization (e.g., if an attorney is submitting a request on behalf of a client), the fee category will be determined by considering the underlying requester's identity and intended use of the information. The following table outlines the basic fee categories and applicable fees:

The FOIA provides for three categories of requesters. However, for clarity purposes, NASA has broken them down to four for the purposes of determining fees. These four categories of FOIA requesters are: Commercial use requesters; educational and noncommercial scientific institutions; representatives of the news media; and all other requesters. The Act prescribes specific levels of fees for each of these categories, which is indicated in the FOIA fee table above.

Commercial use requesters. When NASA receives a request for documents appearing to be for commercial use, meaning a request from or on behalf of one whom seeks information for a use or purpose that furthers the commercial, trade, or profit interests of either the requester or the person on whose behalf the request is made, it will assess charges to recover the full direct costs of searching for, reviewing for release, and duplicating the records sought. NASA will not consider a commercial-use request for a waiver or reduction of fees based upon an assertion that disclosure would be in the public interest. A request from a corporation (not a news media corporation) may be presumed to be for commercial use unless the requester demonstrates that it qualifies for a different fee category. Commercial use requesters are not entitled to two (2) hours of search time or to 100 pages of duplication of documents without charge.

Education and non-commercial scientific institution requesters. (i) To be eligible for inclusion in this category, requesters must show that the request being made is authorized by and under the auspices of a qualifying institution and that the records are not being sought for a commercial use (not operated for commerce, trade or profit), but are being sought in furtherance of scholarly (if the request is from an educational institution) or scientific (if the request is from a noncommercial scientific institution) research. A request for educational purposes must be sent on the Institution's letterhead and signed by the Dean of the School or Department. Records requested for the intention of fulfilling credit requirements are not considered to be sought for a scholarly purpose.

For the purposes of a non-commercial scientific institution, it must be solely for the purpose of conducting scientific research, the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry. Requests must be sent on the letterhead of the scientific institution and signed by the responsible official in charge of the project/program associated with the subject of the documents that are being requested.

Representative of the news media. (i) NASA shall provide documents to requesters in this category for the cost of duplication alone, excluding charges for the first 100 pages when the requester demonstrates the following:

The requester's intended dissemination,

Whether the information is current news and/or of public interest, and

Whether the information sought will shed new light on agency statutory operations.

A representative of the news media is any person or entity organized and operated to publish or broadcast news to the public that actively gathers information of potential interest to a segment of the public, uses its editorial skills to turn the raw materials into a distinct work, and distributes that work to an audience. Examples of news media entities include television or radio stations that broadcast “news” to the public at large and publishers of periodicals that disseminate “news” and make their products available through a variety of means to the general public. A request for records that supports the news-dissemination function of the requester shall not be considered to be for a commercial use. “Freelance” journalists who demonstrate a solid basis for expecting publication through a news media entity shall be considered as working for that entity. A publishing contract would provide the clearest evidence that publication is expected; however, NASA shall also consider a requester's past publication record in making this determination. NASA's decision to grant a requester news media status for the purposes of assessing fees will be made on a case-by-case basis based upon the requesters intended use.

Requesters seeking this fee category who do not articulate sufficient information to support their request will not be included in this fee category. Additionally, FOIA staff may grant a partial fee waiver if the requester can articulate the information above for some of the documents.

All other requesters. NASA shall charge requesters who do not fit into any of the categories mentioned in this section fees in accordance with the fee table above.