ADECA’s public-records policy
It is the policy of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to provide citizens with public records upon request, subject to their payment of reasonable fees, to applicable laws protecting sensitive information, and to the interest of the general public in having the business of government carried on efficiently and without undue interference.
Submitting a public-records request
To submit a request for public records, please download and complete the fillable PDF form found at the bottom of this page. Then, email the completed form to ADECA’s public records coordinator at public.records@adeca.alabama.gov.
ADECA’s Public Records Policy
I. Definitions. The following terms in this rule shall have the following meanings:
(a) Department. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
(b) Standard request. A public records request that seeks one or more specifically and discretely identified public records that the Department determines will take less than eight hours of staff time to process, considering the time needed to identify and retrieve any responsive records and to redact or take other measures to withhold legally protected information. A standard request should require no or minimal clarification by the requester.
(c) Time-intensive request. A public records request that the Department determines will take eight or more hours of staff time to process, considering the time needed to identify and retrieve any responsive records—including because the request is vague or overly broad—and any time needed to redact and take other measures to withhold legally protected information.
II. Standard Requests. The Department shall acknowledge the receipt of a standard request for public records within two (2) business days and shall be prepared to provide a substantive response fulfilling or denying the request within fifteen (15) business days of its acknowledgment of receipt. The Department may extend this period in fifteen (15)-business-day increments upon written notice to the requester if necessary.
In order to submit a standard request for public records, the requester must submit a completed Records Request Form found at adeca.alabama.gov/publicrecords.
Before the fifteen (15)-business-day period for response has expired, the Department will notify the requester of any likely fees. For standard requests for public records that the Department determines will take no more than an hour to process, only the fee per page for paper copies of records will apply. For standard requests that the Department determines will take between one and eight hours to process, all fees set forth in Section IV will apply. The Department may withhold the requested material until all applicable fees have been paid.
III. Time-Intensive Requests. The Department shall acknowledge the receipt of a time-intensive request for public records within two (2) business days and shall notify the requester within fifteen (15) business days after the acknowledgment that the request qualifies as a time-intensive request. At that time, the Department shall notify the requester of any likely fees. The Department shall be prepared to provide a substantive response fulfilling or denying the request within forty-five (45) business days. The Department may extend this period of forty-five (45)-business-day increments by notifying the requester in writing.
In order to submit a time-intensive request for public records, the requester must submit the Records Request Form found at adeca.alabama.gov/publicrecords.
All fees set forth in Section IV will apply to time-intensive requests for public records. The Department may withhold the requested material until all applicable fees have been paid.
IV. Fees. The Department may require the following fees from the requester in order to respond to public records requests:
(a) $20.00 per hour for time spent locating, retrieving, and preparing records for production. This fee shall not include any charge for legal review or redaction necessary to withhold legally protected information.
(b) Up to $0.50 per page for copies produced on standard 8.5×11 paper. This fee shall not be applied to documents provided electronically.
(c) Any actual costs incurred while processing or responding to a public records request; for example, a flash drive or other hardware necessary for producing records in an electronic format, paper which is not standard 8.5×11 size, shipping costs for printed copies, and costs associated with searching electronic databases. The Department will inform the requester of any such costs in advance of charging the requester.
Public Records Coordinator
The Department’s Public Records Coordinator is the Chief of the Communications and External Affairs Unit. The Public Records Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the Department’s responses to public records requests and shall monitor the following email inbox: public.records@adeca.alabama.gov.
The ADECA Records Request Form can be viewed and downloaded here. Completed request forms may be submitted to public.records@adeca.alabama.gov.
