All legal matters will be referred to the office of General Counsel.
Alden Dalton, General Counsel
adalton@scda.sc.gov
803-734-2225
P.O. Box 11280
Columbia, SC 29211
1200 Senate Street
5th Floor, Wade Hampton Building
Columbia, SC 29201
Enforcement Reports
- Retail Food Safety Administrative Orders and Consent Orders – July 2024
- Retail Food Safety Administrative Orders and Consent Orders – August 2024
- Retail Food Safety Administrative Orders and Consent Orders – September 2024
- Retail Food Safety Administrative Orders and Consent Orders – October 2024
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Fee Schedule
South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) will evaluate each public records request and attempt to provide the information at no cost to the requestor by absorbing the cost. If it is determined that the agency must allocate a significant amount of staff time and/or resources to a request, or multiple requests over a short time period, from an individual or organization, estimated fees will be assessed as outlined below.
Photocopying
If the request requires copying approximately 25 pages or more, the charge would be calculated at 20 cents per page for black and white copies or 80 cents per page for color pages.
Employee / Administrative Time
If the FOIA request requires approximately one hour or more of staff time, assessed fees may be based on the actual cost of the search, retrieval and redaction of records. The fee for the search, retrieval or redaction of records shall not exceed the prorated hourly salary of the lowest paid employee who, in the reasonable discretion of SCDA, has the necessary skill and training to fulfill the request.
The prorated hourly salary of an employee is determined by dividing that employee’s salary by 1,950 hours (or less if part time) and multiplying that figure by the number of hours required to search for, retrieve and redact the requested records.
Example: If providing records requires an employee with a yearly salary of $30,000 four hours to search for, retrieve and redact the requested records, the associated fee would be $61.40 (30,000.00/1,950 x 4), plus any costs of photocopying, postage, fax, and/or electronic storage devices.
Postage or Fax
If the FOIA request requires postage, fax or an electronic data storage device (e.g., thumb drive, CD, etc.) of approximately $2 or more, the charge would be the actual cost associated with the process or device.
Computer / Information Technology
Charges will be based on costs associated with the process. For the use of a CD, DVD, or memory stick, there will be a $5 charge.
Estimation of Fees and Payment
If it is determined that charges will be assessed for fulfilling an information request, the requestor will be notified. Actual costs will be recorded throughout the process, and will be reconciled with the requestor upon completion. 25% of the total fee amount must be received by SCDA at the address below prior to collection of information and/or fulfillment of the request.
South Carolina Department of Agriculture
Office of General Counsel
Physical
1200 Senate Street
5th Floor Wade Hampton Building
Columbia, SC 29201
Mailing
PO Box 11280
Columbia, SC 29211
