The Marshall County District Attorney’s Office is committed to operating with openness, honesty, and transparency. At the same time, we are legally obligated to protect individual privacy, public safety, the integrity of cases, and the broader public interest by preventing the release of nonpublic information. To ensure compliance, our office has established a clear process for handling open records requests.
When a request is received, our staff conducts a preliminary review and searches for the documents requested. Once located, the records are carefully reviewed to determine what information may be lawfully disclosed. After this review, our office will send a letter outlining any costs associated with your request. Upon payment, if applicable, the records will be retrieved, copied, and redacted as necessary before being mailed to you.
Open records requests may be submitted to the Marshall County District Attorney’s Office (MCDA) by standard mail or in person. MCDA does not accept open records requests via fax. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM
Please send open records requests to:
Marshall County District Attorney’s Office
Attn: Records Dept.
424 Blount Avenue, Suite 208
Guntersville, Alabama 35976
Open records requests may also be delivered in person to the address above during regular business hours.
Response Time and Fees
Upon receiving an open records request, MCDA has fifteen business days to respond. If the request is extensive or requires significant staff time, the requestor may be responsible for paying a fee before MCDA can provide the requested documents.
*Please note that not all records are subject to disclosure under Alabama law. Case files, investigative materials, victim and witness information, and juvenile records are generally confidential and cannot be released.
Please note: Some records are only available through the Marshall County Circuit Clerk’s Office, not the District Attorney’s Office. This includes court filings (such as complaints, motions, and pleadings), orders signed by a judge, and case dispositions (the final outcome of a case). Additional legal and court related information to quick links, general forms and filing instructions are available at www.alacourt.gov. A public access computer is also accessible and available in the Guntersville Circuit Clerk’s Office for searching court record information.
If your request involves these types of records, please contact:
Marshall County Circuit Clerk’s Office
Angie Johnson, Circuit Clerk
Phone: (256) 571-7785
424 Blount Avenue, Suite 201
Guntersville, AL 35976
If you’re unsure where your request belongs, feel free to reach out to our office. We’ll help point you in the right direction.
Additional Resources
For general information about the Alabama Open Records process, you may visit the Alabama Attorney General’s website or contact the Public Information Section at (334) 242-7300.
Under Alabama law there are several exceptions to the Open Records Act. Those exceptions include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Juvenile Records
- Information Concerning Children
- Youthful Offender Records
- Grand Jury Records
- Hospital Patient Records
- Parole and Probation Reports
- Criminal History Information
- Identifying Information (ex. SSN’s or Driver's License Numbers)
- Unexecuted Arrest Warrants
- Expunged Records
- Work Notes
- Law Enforcement Investigative Materials – Including Dash Camera and Body Camera Video. Those materials belong to the LE agency, so any request must be sent to them.
- Information in Open Cases
- Documents Not Requested for a “Legitimate Purpose”