For purposes of fees only, the FOIA divides requests into the following categories:

Commercial Use Requests

Commercial use request means a request from or on behalf of one who requests information for a use or purpose that furthers the commercial, trade, or profit interest of the requester or the person on whose behalf the request is made.  The DEA will assess charges that recover the full direct costs of searching for, reviewing for release, and duplicating the record(s) sought, subject to certain fee limitations. 

Educational Institution Requests

Educational institution means a public or private elementary or secondary school, an institution of undergraduate or graduate higher education, an institution of professional education, or an institution of vocational education that operates a program or programs of scholarly research.  To qualify for inclusion in this category, the request must serve a scholarly research goal of the institution, not an individual goal.  The requester must seek the information in connection with his or her role at the educational institution and DEA may ask for reasonable verification.

The DEA shall provide records to requesters in this category for the cost of reproduction alone, excluding charges for the first 100 pages.

Noncommercial Scientific Institution Requests

Noncommercial scientific institution means an institution that is not operated on a "commercial" basis and that is operated solely for the purpose of conducting scientific research, the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry.

The DEA shall provide records to requesters in this category for the cost of reproduction alone, excluding charges for the first 100 pages.

Representatives of the News Media Requests

A representative of the news media is any person or entity that gathers information of potential interest to a segment of the public, uses its editorial skills to turn raw materials into a distinct work, and distributes that work to an audience.  The term “news” means information that is about current events or that would be of current interest to the public.  News media entities include television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large and publishers of periodicals (but only in those instances when they can qualify as disseminators of “news'') who make their products available for purchase by subscription or free distribution to the general public.

The DEA shall provide records to requesters in this category for the cost of reproduction alone, excluding charges for the first 100 pages.

All Others Requests

Requests from persons not falling within any of the above categories.  The DEA will assess charges that recover the full direct costs of searching for and duplicating the record sought, excluding charges for the first two hours of search and for the first 100 pages.