Public Records Request Form

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REQUESTING INSPECTION OR COPY OF PUBLIC RECORDS

Alabama law makes public records available for inspection and/or copy by its citizens, subject to exceptions specified by law (36-12-40 and 41, Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended). These exceptions generally direct that certain information is privileged or confidential and shall not be disclosed. In the interest of efficiency and a conservative economy of taxpayer funds, the following procedure has been established to provide an orderly method for requesting inspection and/or copy of public records that are within the jurisdiction of the Sheriff's Office.

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH YOUR REQUEST

1.  Complete the PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST FORM and submit it to the Sheriff as follows:

Chilton County Sheriff's Office

Attn: Public Records

500 2nd Avenue North

Clanton, Alabama 35045-3421

The completed Public Records Request Form must be hand-delivered to the Sheriff's Office. Requests by telephone or fax will not be accepted. A minimum Processing Fee in the amount of $25.00 in the form of a cashier's check or money order must accompany the completed Public Records Request Form. 

2. Upon receipt by the Sheriff of the completed Public Records Request Form and Processing Fee of $25.00, the Sheriff will provide a prompt acknowledgment of receipt of the request, including any deficiencies, such as, but not limited to : a) a vague, non-specific request, b) an improperly completed form, and c) records not maintained by the Sheriff. As soon as the records are located and assessed for costs, an itemized invoice of the estimated Production Cost will be provided to the Requesting Party. Upon receipt of the estimated Production Cost, the Sheriff will begin production of the documents. Upon completion, the Sheriff will provide an itemized invoice of the final Production Cost. No records will be made available to the Requesting Party until the Sheriff receives payment of the total costs set forth on the final invoice. The Sheriff will attempt to comply with all requests within thirty (30) business days of receipt of the final Production Cost. The following are the detailed costs involved in processing Public Records Requests:

A NON-REFUNDABLE. MINIMUM. PROCESSING FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $25.00 WILL BE CHARGED  FOR ALL REQUESTS AND WILL BE DUE UPON SUBMISSION OF THE COMPLETED PUBLIC  RECORDS REQUEST FORM. The minimum Processing Fee will cover the first hour of Labor. Any additional Labor cost needed to fulfill the request shall be calculated at the rate of $25.00 per hour. Partial hours will be rounded to the next full hour. An itemized example of the cost breakdown is shown as follows:

Payment for Production Cost shall be made by cashier's check or money order only and must be received by the Sheriff before any copies are produced. Any payments received by the Sheriff in excess of the actual Production Cost will be reimbursed at the time of delivery of the requested documents.

3.  Records requested MAY be available for viewing depending on the method in which the records are stored. Certain records are available for copying only because the Sheriff must print the requested records. If the requested records are available for viewing, the Requesting Party will be notified when the records are available as explained below and of the estimated cost.

4.  If requested records are available for viewing: When notified that the records are available, the Requesting Party should contact the Sheriff's Office to schedule an appointment to view the records at the location where the records are maintained. Appointments are available between 8 AM and 4 PM, Monday through Friday, except for holidays. Upon viewing, documents may be identified for copying. Production Cost will apply.

PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST FORM

To conserve taxpayer-provided resources, there are policies and procedures governing the orderly production of public records for inspection and reproduction. All requests for inspection or copy of public records must be made in writing and submitted on this Public Records Request Form. Read and follow the attached Instructions for Requesting Inspection or Copy of Public Records before submitting this Request. Please complete all information in the fields provided (type or print).

Name of Requesting Party:________________________________________________________________________

Organization Name:_____________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address:________________________________________________________________________________

City:________________________   State:__________________    Zip Code:_______________________________

Telephone Number:________________________________ Mobile Number:_________________________________

Email Address:__________________________________________________________________________________

Are you a citizen? ______________________________  If so, where?:_____________________________________

Description of Record(s) to be viewed and/or copied:___________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Proposed Use of Records:_________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

(The Alabama Open Records Act and related case law allows state agencies to require a reason to be provided to show a direct, legitimate interest in the specific document(s) requested. Your statement should communicate a direct interest in the specific record(s) required (i.e. "I am a student doing a paper on ...") and should not be general statements of entitlement (i.e. "I am a Taxpayer" or "It is a public document)).

A non-refundable, minimum Processing Fee in the amount of $25.00 shall be due with the submission of this form and must be in the form of a cashier's check or money order. See the attached Instructions for Requesting Inspection or Copy of Public Records for further information on costs and other conditions.

I have read the Instructions for Requesting Inspection or Copy of Public Records and agree to the terms and conditions stated therein, including the requirement for advance payment of the minimum Processing Fee, payment for estimated Production Cost, and payment of the final costs prior to the production of the requested documents.

_______________________________                                                 _________________________________

Signature of Requesting Party                                                                Date of Request                                           

________________________________

Print Name

Chilton County Sheriff recognizes and supports the public's right

to inspect and request copies of public records in accordance with state law.