Terms of Service

Effective Date: August 29, 2025

Welcome to the Baldwin County, Alabama website located at baldwinal.org (the “Website,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Website and any content, tools, and resources provided through it (collectively, the “Services”). By accessing or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy practices referenced herein. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

About the Services

The Website is an information platform that collects and organizes official tools, services, resources, websites, and department contact information related to Baldwin County, Alabama. The Services are provided solely to help users find information faster. We do not participate in transactions, process payments, broker services, or act as an agent for any third party. Any interactions, payments, applications, or services you complete on external websites are between you and those third parties.

Eligibility and Access

You must be able to form a binding contract to use the Services. No user account is required to access the Website. We may restrict, suspend, or terminate access to any user at any time for violation of these Terms or to protect the integrity of the Services, as further described in Section 13.

No Fees; Third-Party Charges

We do not charge fees to use the Services. The Website may display links to third-party websites, including advertising networks such as AdSense. Any charges, fees, or costs incurred on third-party websites are independent of and unrelated to us. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the pricing, billing, or practices of third parties.

Third-Party Sites and Advertising

The Services may include links to third-party sites, content, or services (collectively, “Third-Party Services”). These are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. We do not endorse, control, or assume any responsibility for Third-Party Services, including their content, accuracy, policies, or practices. Your use of Third-Party Services is at your own risk and subject to the terms and policies of those third parties.

Information Only; No Guarantee of Accuracy or Timeliness

We strive to present useful, organized information. However, we do not guarantee the completeness, accuracy, reliability, or real-time nature of the information provided on the Website. Data may become outdated, incomplete, or contain errors. You are solely responsible for independently verifying information before relying on it or making decisions. We are not responsible for any consequences resulting from reliance on the content.

Availability; Service Interruptions

The Services may be modified, updated, interrupted, suspended, or discontinued at any time without notice. We are not liable for any losses or damages resulting from service interruptions, downtime, delays, data errors, or failures of networks, systems, or third-party services.

Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Services only for lawful purposes and in compliance with these Terms. Without limiting the foregoing, you may not:

Misuse the Services by employing robots, spiders, crawlers, scrapers, or other automated tools to access, query, or extract data;

Attempt to bypass, interfere with, or compromise the security, availability, or integrity of the Services, including rate limits or access controls;

Engage in unauthorized data scraping, harvesting, or indexing of the Website or its content;

Copy, reproduce, distribute, publicly display, or create derivative works from the Services or content for any commercial purpose without our prior written permission;

Use the Services in a manner that violates applicable laws or regulations, infringes the rights of others, or could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Website;

Introduce malware, viruses, or harmful code, or otherwise interfere with the proper functioning of the Services.

We reserve the right to monitor usage and to suspend or terminate unauthorized access at our discretion.

Intellectual Property

All content, features, and functionality on the Website—including text, compilations, interfaces, and design elements—are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by intellectual property and other laws. Provided you comply with these Terms, we grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Services for personal, non-commercial informational purposes. Any rights not expressly granted are reserved.

Unauthorized copying, distribution, or commercial use of data is prohibited. Requests for permission to reproduce or otherwise use content beyond the scope of these Terms must be made in writing and approved by us.

User Content and Feedback

If you submit suggestions, feedback, or ideas, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, modify, and create derivative works from such input without compensation or attribution, for any lawful purpose.

Privacy

We may process limited technical or usage data to operate and secure the Services and to display relevant advertising. Your interactions with Third-Party Services are governed by their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review those policies before providing information to third parties.

Disclaimers

The services are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory. Without limitation, we disclaim any warranties of accuracy, completeness, reliability, title, non-infringement, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-interruption. We make no warranty that the services will meet your requirements, that information will be timely or error-free, or that defects will be corrected.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages; loss of profits, revenue, or data; business interruption; or cost of substitute services, arising from or related to your use of or inability to use the services, any errors or omissions in content, service interruptions, data inaccuracies, or any acts or omissions of third parties (including advertisers and linked sites), even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Suspension and Termination

We may, in our sole discretion and without notice, suspend or terminate your access to the Services (in whole or in part) for any reason, including violation of these Terms, suspected misuse, legal or regulatory reasons, or to protect the Website, users, or third parties. Upon termination, all rights granted to you under these Terms will immediately cease.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Website, its operators, affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to: (a) your use of the Services; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any rights of another; or (d) your interactions with Third-Party Services.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and your use of the Services are governed by the federal laws of the United States and the laws of the State of Alabama, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. You consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located within Alabama for any dispute arising out of or relating to the Services or these Terms, and you waive any objection to such jurisdiction or venue.

Changes to the Services and to These Terms

We may update, modify, or discontinue any aspect of the Services at any time. We reserve the right to update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated Terms on the Website and may notify users via Website announcements. Changes take effect upon posting unless otherwise specified. Your continued use of the Services after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

Miscellaneous

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce any right or provision will not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. Any attempted assignment in violation of this section is void. We may assign our rights and obligations at any time.

By accessing or using baldwinal.org, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must discontinue use of the Services.