Guidelines for Making Open Records Requests Alabama Open Records Act Requests The University of Alabama in Huntsville (the “University”) complies with the laws of the State of Alabama, including granting residents the right to review and obtain copies of certain public records in accordance with Alabama Code § 36-12-40, et. seq. As such, the University has adopted a form for individuals requesting records from the University.. Submitting a Request: The University will respond to appropriate open records requests submitted using this form. A records request form must be fully completed for each request. There are detailed instructions within the records request form. All records requests should describe in detail the records being sought, including the date and/or time frame of such records. Please note: Upon completion of form, the requester will receive an automated confirmation of successful form submission. This automated confirmation is NOT a formal acknowledgement of receipt of the request. Documents: The requester may request to obtain copies of public records in either hard copy/paper or electronic format, subject to the costs outlined below. Requester may also request to conduct in-person inspection of public records in lieu of copies; in such case, the requester will be required to pay labor charges as outlined below, but will not be responsible for a per page fee. Costs and Payment of Reasonable Fees: The University of Alabama in Huntsville, in accordance with the Alabama Open Records Act, will impose a reasonable fee to process open records requests. However, the University may waive this fee when a request does not require significant time or resources to process. This waiver is at the sole discretion of the University upon evaluation of the request. Exemptions: Open records requests are subject to appropriate protections for private, confidential, privileged, and other nonpublic information. State law provides that some information may be exempted from production including, but not limited to, 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, but not limited to, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy (FERPA) law. What Happens Next: Acknowledgement The University, through the Office of Marketing and Communications, will formally acknowledge a proper open records request within 10 business days of receipt. Evaluation of Nature of Request Following acknowledgment, the time period for providing a substantive response, including, but not limited to, a denial of the request, depends upon the nature of the request, i.e., whether it is a standard request or time-intensive request, which are defined in the Act as follows: Standard Request – a public records request that seeks one or more specifically and discretely identified public records that the Office of Marketing and Communications, in coordination with the applicable records custodian(s), determines would take less than eight (8) hours of staff time to process. Standard requests should require no or minimal clarification by the requester. Time-Intensive Request – a public records request that the Office of Marketing and Communications, in coordination with the applicable records custodian(s), determines would take more than eight (8) hours of staff time to process. Standard Requests For standard requests, if the University elects to charge a fee, the University will notify the requester of the estimated reasonable fee for collecting and producing responsive records. The University may withhold any responsive records until receipt of payment. Once the requester accepts and pays the fee, the time period for providing a response will commence. Thereafter, the University, in coordination with the applicable records custodian, will conduct an investigation to identify and locate all responsive public records. Once investigation, compilation, and preparation of any responsive public records are complete, the University will notify the requester of any additional time and fees incurred, if any. Within 15 business days of acknowledging receipt of a proper request or following receipt of any required fee, whichever is greater, the University will provide a substantive response fulfilling or denying a proper request. Standard requests will be processed as expeditiously as possible; however, the University may extend this period in 15 business day increments upon written notice to the requester. Time-Intensive Requests For time-intensive requests, the University will notify the requester within 15 business days of acknowledging a proper request that it qualifies as a time-intensive request and require the requester to pay a reasonable fee before providing a substantive response to the requester. The University shall notify the requester of any likely fees at that time and, if preferred by the requester, allow the requester to withdraw the time-intensive request and submit a new standard request. If the requester elects to proceed with the time-intensive request, the University will notify the requester of the estimated fee and withhold any records until receipt of payment. Once the requester accepts and pays the fee, the time period for providing a response will begin. If the requester elects not to proceed with the time-intensive request and submits a revised request, it will be treated as a new request and all timelines will restart upon receipt of the new request. If the University determines the new request is a standard request, standard request timelines will apply. If the requester elects to proceed with the time-intensive request, the University, in coordination with the applicable records custodian, should estimate the time necessary to search, compile, and prepare any responsive public records for production and generate an invoice for the incurred charges. Said invoice will be provided to the requester prior to searching for any responsive public records, and the requester will be notified that the invoice is only an estimate, and that additional time and costs may be incurred to complete the search and/or preparation of any responsive public records. After payment is made, the University, in coordination with the applicable records custodian, will conduct an investigation to identify and locate all responsive public records. Once investigation, compilation, and preparation of any responsive public records are complete, the University will notify the requester of any additional time and fees incurred, if any. After payment is made, or if no additional fees are incurred, the University will provide a substantive response to the requester within the timeframes provided herein. Within 45 business days of the requester’s election to proceed with the time-intensive request and payment therefore or following receipt of any additional required fee, whichever is greater, University will provide a substantive response fulfilling or denying the request. Standard requests will be processed as expeditiously as possible; however, the University may extend this period in 45 business day increments upon written notice to the requester. NOTE: If the University responds to a request by seeking clarification or additional information, the timelines noted above shall be tolled and restart once the University receives the requested clarification or additional information as if the requester had submitted a new request. Submit an Open Records Request