Pursuant to the §36-12-40, Code of Alabama 1975, Inspection and Copying of Records, “Every citizen has a right to inspect and take a copy of any public writing of this state, except as otherwise expressly provided by statute.”

The fee schedule to obtain copies of records and/or to inspect records and the statement of general public records policy are incorporated herein and attached hereto.

Please read carefully before submitting your records requests or making inquiries.

If additional information is required, a BJCTA representative will contact you after receipt to secure additional information.

Do not remit payment until you have been advised of the fee amount.

Allow for a sufficient and reasonable time period for records to be retrieved, inspected, and copied. The time will include making available staff that may be limited due to performance of critical day-to-day work assignments.

In some cases, approved identification may be required when requesting records in order to determine legitimate inspection privileges and to safeguard privacy rights of citizens.

(Please Read Before Submitting Your Request)

This fee schedule covers duplicating paper copies of records when the original record is paper, microfilm or electronic.

Duplicating Fees for Routine/Standard Records Requests

The following fees shall apply to all standard business documents of not more than 8 ½ by 14 inches which are contained within filing systems that are used in the normal business process of BJCTA departments. These records would require nominal clerical time to locate, duplicate or provide access.

(a) For paper copies – there will be a charge of 50 cents ($0.50) per one-sided document (page) for duplicated copies of not more than 8 inches by 14 inches. For two-sided documents (pages) of up to 8 inches by 14 inches, the charge to duplicate both sides shall be 75 cents ($0.75) per sheet of paper. All paper copies will be produced in black and white only. Color copies will not be produced.

(b) For documents produced in electronic format there will be a charge of eight dollars ($8.00) per media unit (CD, Flash Drive and E-mail, etc.) plus a charge of 10 cents ($0.10) per document (page) provided in the media unit.

(c) There is no charge to inspect records that are routine in nature and require nominal clerical time to locate or provide minimal supervised inspection. Extended supervision cost and time scheduling will be based on an individual basis.

(d) Pre-payment is not accepted. Do not pre-pay. We will advise you of the total fee amount for your request, once it is prepared. The records will not be released until full payment is received.

(e) Certified funds only, or Money Orders are accepted for payment. Sorry, no credit cards.

(f) Allow a sufficient and reasonable time period for records to be made available for reproduction or inspection.

Duplicating and Access/Research Fees for Non-Routine Records Requests or Use of Information Technology Resources

If the nature or volume of public records requested to be inspected or copied requires extensive use of Information Technology resources or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance, then the BJCTA may require payment of a surcharge in addition to the routine duplication fee. This charge shall be reasonable and based on the cost incurred for such extensive use of Information Technology resources and labor cost, including inspection supervision, of the personnel providing the service that is actually incurred by the BJCTA. This also includes using computing resources for generating records when records have been archived off-line and are not readily accessible. The BJCTA reserves the right to refuse requests to produce or provide records or reports not already being produced in the normal course of business or to provide them in a different format.

Purpose: To develop a uniform policy regarding supplying the general public with copies of public records.

“Public Records” shall include written, typed or printed books, papers, letters, resolutions, reports, records, pleadings, exhibits, documents and maps made or received by BJCTA officials, employees, committees or board members in the normal course of conducting business on behalf of the BJCTA.

“Confidential Documents” shall include records, papers, letters and other written documents concerning the good name and character of individuals; internal personnel matters; W-2 forms; matters of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy; trade secrets, commercial and financial information obtained in confidence and/or which is privileged or which, if revealed would interfere with the efficient operations of the BJCTA; investigatory records of law enforcement agencies which, if revealed, could be life threatening, harmful to the public, or prevent the accused from receiving a fair trial; and also, “work product” generated by the BJCTA Attorney, any Assistant Attorney, or any other lawyers retained to work on behalf of the BJCTA.

1. Members of the public may, either orally or in writing, set up an appointment to view “public records” during normal BJCTA business hours, but under no circumstances shall “public records” be removed from the custody of the custodian of the records in question.

2. Requests for copies of BJCTA “public records” must be in writing and shall describe with some degree of certainty the documents requested.

3. Copies of “public records” which are maintained in the normal course of BJCTA business and which involve no research or extra labor time on the part of the BJCTA shall be 50 cents ($0.50) per one-sided document (page) for duplicated copies of not more than 8 inches by 14 inches. For two-sided documents (pages) of up to 8 inches by 14 inches, the charge to duplicate both sides shall be 75 cents ($0.75). All paper copies will be produced in black and white only. Color copies will not be produced. For documents produced in electronic format there will be a charge of $8.00 per media unit (CD, Flash Drive and E-mail, etc.) plus a charge of 10 cents ($0.10) per document (page) provided in the media unit. An additional reasonable charge may be assessed for copies of transit maps or where otherwise posted.

4. Copies of “public records” which are not easily retrievable because the documents are not regularly maintained in the normal course of business and therefore require research and extra time of BJCTA employees to compile shall be charged at the rates listed above along with an additional administrative research surcharge.

5. Certified copies of “public records” shall be available at the additional rate of $5.00 per certified copy.

6. If a request for “public records” necessitates the use of BJCTA computer time, a reasonable charge shall be assessed by the BJCTA Administrative Offices.

7. The BJCTA will make a reasonable attempt to promptly respond to lawful copying and/or research requests of “public records” within one week of receipt. Requests for “confidential documents” shall be denied in writing by the BJCTA within 10 days. Time extensions are authorized where necessary.

8. No documents shall be released until the BJCTA has received payment for the “public record” and/or research services requested.

9. Requests for “public records” which are unduly burdensome, time-consuming, and those which are intended to harass the BJCTA, or any BJCTA employee, shall be subject to limitation by the BJCTA, time extensions, and/or denial of the documents.

10. The Public Records Law does not authorize a citizen to shift to the custodian of public documents the tasks of inspecting them and identifying the ones to be copied or the expense of copying those and does not require the custodian to undertake the burden and expense of mailing or otherwise delivering the copies. The burden and expense of copying the writings and taking the copies must be borne by the citizen or his or her agent as provided by law.

11. Creation of documents or reports upon request is not the responsibility of BJCTA personnel nor is it required that they provide more than what is present in existing documents or information systems.