Guidelines for Making Open Records Requests

Alabama Open Records Act Requests

The University of North Alabama complies with the laws of the State of Alabama, including granting citizens the right to review and obtain copies of certain public writings in accordance with Alabama Code §36-12-40, et. seq. As such, the University of North Alabama has adopted guidelines and a form for individuals requesting records from the University of North Alabama.

The Alabama Supreme Court has held that a public body as defined in the Public Records Act may require a person making a request for access to public records to submit a written application and give a reason for seeking the record.

Submitting a Request

The records request form found below should be completed for each request made.  All requests should describe the records being sought, including the date and/or time frame of such records, and the purpose of the request.  Please provide an as detailed as possible description for the records or types of records being requested.  The University is not obligated to respond to a request that is vague, ambiguous, overly broad, or unreasonable in scope, nor is the University obligated to respond to a request that seeks records that do not exist or materials that are not public records.

The University will devote as much of its resources to addressing public records requests as possible without interfering with the fulfillment of the normal job duties of its personnel.

Response

The University will acknowledge all requests received. Depending on the amount of time required to gather the relevant information, the length of time before a response is provided will vary.

Costs

There will be a charge of $1.00 per page, and payment must be provided before documents will be made available.  The University reserves the right to recover the actual cost of record search and copying, including labor, if the information requested is not readily available or requires an extended amount of time to research, retrieve, review, redact, assemble, etc.  If you submit a request that is subject to additional recovery costs, you will be provided with an estimate before work begins.  When possible and reasonable, records may be available at no charge. 

Exemptions

State law provides that some information may be exempt from production including, but not limited to, sensitive personnel information, registration and circulation records and information concerning the use of university libraries; records concerning security plans, procedures, assessments, measures, or systems, and any other records relating to, or having an impact upon, the security or safety of persons, structures, facilities, or other infrastructures, including information concerning critical infrastructures and critical energy infrastructures the public disclosure of which may reasonably be expected to be detrimental to the public safety or welfare; records that the disclosure of which would otherwise be detrimental to the best interests of the public; or, records protected from disclosure by other state and federal laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy (FERPA) law.

Open Records Request Form

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