The authority shall respond promptly to requests for public records to ensure compliance with the provisions of RCW 42.17.320. Within five business days of receiving a public record request, the authority must respond by either:

(1) Providing the record;

(2) Acknowledging that the authority has received the request and providing a reasonable estimate of the time the authority will require to respond to the request; or

(3) Denying the public record request.

In acknowledging receipt of a public record request that is unclear, the authority may ask the requestor to clarify what information the requestor is seeking. If the requestor fails to clarify the request, the authority shall not be required to respond to it.