Public Records Access in Alabama
County Commission Records Access
Charted above are the results of a small sample of public record requests, as per Alabama’s Open Records Act, §§ 36-12-40 to 46. Only county commission requests are included on the map. The notes below include documentation of other requests within the county.
- Fulfilled: The Commission fulfilled a records request in accordance with the Open Records Act.
- Posted Online: The record or information sought was already posted and easily accessible on an official website.
- Did Not Fulfill: The commission refused or otherwise did not fulfill the request in accordance with the Open Records Act. Circumstances are detailed below.
- Hurdles to Fulfill: These commissions did not respond within the 10 business day acknowledgement window, or initially refused but ultimately fulfilled, or had no feasible means of searching due to records not having been digitized, or had other circumstances that significantly impaired fulfillment.
The County Notes below include details on how each request was handled. For guidance on requesting, see Public Records Requests in Alabama.
Open Access Highs & Lows
✔ Best Practices
- Online Records and/or Informative Websites: Baldwin, Elmore, Limestone, Madison, all of Mobile County; Lee AC
- Quick Fulfillment: Baldwin, Blount, Elmore, Shelby Commissions; Piedmont (Calhoun), Trinity (Morgan); Lauderdale Animal Shelter
- Especially Commendable Officials: Limestone County Archivists, Circuit Clerk Stephanie Jones (Lowndes), Steve Tears and Tammy Nix (Montgomery); Albertville City Clerk Dawn Smith and Assistant Chief John Amos (Marshall)
- Open Communication: Duston Dutton (Cherokee), Anthony Wilbanks (Lawrence), Lisa Wimberley (Lee), Charlotte Williams (Marion & Winston), and many others
✘ Obstructions
- In-Person Policies: Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Cleburne, Coffee, Cullman, Franklin, Houston, Jackson, Lee, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan, Randolph, Walker Commissions; Snead (Blount)
- Unreasonable Fees: Ohatchee (Calhoun)
- Unresponsive: Calhoun, Lowndes, Marion, Walker Commissions; GBHS (Jefferson & Walker Counties)
- Form Required, But Not Posted on Website: Etowah, Montgomery, Morgan Commissions; Jemison (Chilton)
The notes below describe how records request(s) and other requests for information were handled in each Alabama county.
Chilton County
Commission: A Commission staff member stated in Apr. 2025 that records requests had to be submitted in person. I did not challenge that policy since the SO provided the document.
Sheriff’s Office: ACO Sgt. Rocky Mims provided the record on Apr. 24, 2025, the day after I emailed an informal request.
Municipalities: I emailed the two addresses posted on the Jemison website. After four business days with no reply, I spoke with City Clerk Vicki Potts, who emailed the City of Jemison public records request form and policy; I submitted the form on July 3, 2025. On Aug. 19, Vicki emailed that she had submitted a request that the city’s animal ordinance be added to the city's Ordinances page and that she would let me know when it was done. I checked for the ordinance over the next several weeks and found it on Oct. 24. ✪ In Maplesville, my request had marked as spam; Town Clerk Dawn Smitherman found the email and provided the ordinance soon after I called.
Geneva County
Commission: Dogs-at-large research required only a single call to Geneva County, since Cindy Williams, county administrator, was able to answer.
Lowndes County
Commission: County Administrator Jackie Thomas said in Apr. 2025 that she would not be able to look for the record for the next three months since she was working on an audit.
Macon County
Commission: Josetta Stewart, office manager at the Compliance Office, searched for the document in question, which I requested via phone on Mar. 31, 2025. After several follow-up attempts, on Apr. 29 Josetta emailed that she did not find the document (it may not exist).
Morgan County
Commission: I submitted a request on Apr. 11, 2025 using the template, since there was no form posted on the County website. Archivist John Allison replied on Apr. 14 with a public records form and procedure which I am including here to perhaps save someone a step in the future. Upon resubmitting on Apr. 14, I included a rebuttal to the in-person requirement. On Apr. 21, the record was provided via email.
Municipalities: Ashley Patterson, Trinity town clerk, provided animal control ordinances on June 27, 2025, the morning after I sent an informal request.