Legal Resources: Local Government Law

The New Jersey State League of Municipalities is a voluntary association created to help communities do a better job of self-government through pooling information resources and brain power. It is authorized by State Statute and since 1915, has been serving local officials throughout the Garden State. All 566 municipalities are members of the League. Over 560 mayors and 13,000 elected and appointed officials of member municipalities are entitled to all of the services and privileges of the League.

The NJAC is committed to advocating for legislation, regulations, and policy directives that empower county governments to operate more effectively and efficiently. As a non-partisan organization that represents the only true regional form of government in the State with a unified and proactive voice, NJAC is committed to advancing innovative programs and initiatives for the sole purpose of saving valuable taxpayer dollars.

NACo collects information on counties, including county seats and cities within a county. Click on the state on the hyperlinked map, use the pull-down menu, or search for a particular county in the search box at the bottom of the screen.

Find a county a city is located in by (1) searching by name of city, (2) by zip code, (3) by selecting a state and viewing all the cities within that state, and (4) by selecting a state, then a county from within that state to view a list of those cities.

A public resource developed by the NLC to introduce and explain municipal government in the United States.

Can search for codes and ordinances by issue area (e.g. firearms, noise, outdoor ordinance, etc.)

UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies Library maintains a large collection of local ordinance codes and charters issued by California cities and counties. If you need to find a California municode, check this site first.

This site offers several search options: (1) search all the codes in their library, which covers 32 states; (2) search all the codes within a state; and (3) select a city and search/browse its code.

Municode offers its Municipal Codes Web Library for free viewing online.

The default page is the "Search/General" screen. Click on the "Sources" tab on the left-side menu, then select the "Find Sources" link. In the keyword search box, enter "Municipal Codes." This will retrieve over 60 sets of municipal codes.

Includes a list of online codes for 19 states. Especially useful for codes in Oregon and Washington state.

Choose the code to view by first selecting the state (20 states represented) and then selecting from a list of municipalities.

Codes from 24 states. Choose the state, then select a municipality.

Includes mostly cities in Ohio. Click on "Search All Municipalities" at the top of the list of cities to search all ordinances. Select "Advanced Search" to search for exact phrases and words appearing near each other.

Includes a list of online codes for cities and counties in 9 states. Especially useful for codes in New Jersey.

Includes a list of online codes for cities and counties in 5 states. The majority of the codes listed are for cities in California.

List provided by the Judicial Branch of Arizona, Maricopa County, Law Library.

Colorado municipalities listed in alphabetical order. Online access in either PDF or html format. Also provides external links to the muncipality's Web site.

Complete list of all online municipal codes for Illinois municipalities.

Drake University School of Law Library.

List of ordinances provided by the University of Maine, School of Law Library.

Provided by the Maryland State Law Library. Not all municipalities will have online access. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the link to "County Codes available online."

Links provided by Michigan State University College of Law Library.

Links provided by the Minnesota State law Library.

List provided on the Nevada State Legislature's Web site.

From UNM School of Law Library and Information Technology.

Extensive collection of Texas municipal codes. Advanced searching available.

Howard W. Hunter Law Library's State and Local Government Library Guide includes Utah city codes on two tabs, as well as Utah county codes online on a separate tab.

MRSC has compiled links to city and county codes for cities and counties located in Washington. MRSC allows for multiple code searching.

Alphabetical list provided by the Wisconsin State Law Library.