Find Existing Laws That May Apply
First, it is helpful to see the existing laws, if any, for your jurisdiction. This will give you a starting point. If there are existing laws, you can determine if there are changes that may update the law. Be sure to know what "Class" your city is in terms of population. This will help you find laws that may be useful in your area and be a better fit.
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Associations:
The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) was founded in 1947 and serves as the professional association for “municipal clerks, secretaries, treasurers, recorders and other allied associations from cities and towns worldwide.”1
The International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) is a professional association for
local government attorneys. IMLA was started in 1935, and its first Executive Director was Charles
S. Rhyne.2 Rhyne was the youngest president of the American Bar Association, and he pushed for
the establishment of Law Day. Rhyne argued for the appellants in Baker v. Carr3 and National
League of Cities v. Usery,4 and he presented the case on rearguement for the appellants in Mobile
v. Bolden.5
The National Association of Counties (NACo) was founded in 1935, and NACo maintains its
headquarters on Masschusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C.6 The NACo motto is “The Voice of
America's Counties.”
The National League of Cities (NLC), with its headquarters located on Pennsylvania Avenue
in Washington, D.C., provides advocacy and membership service for over 19,000 municipal
governments.7 The NLC motto is “Helping City Leaders Build Better Communities.” The NLC has
a membership relationship with forty-nine state leagues.8
The International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) is a professional association for
local government attorneys. IMLA was started in 1935, and its first Executive Director was Charles
S. Rhyne.2 Rhyne was the youngest president of the American Bar Association, and he pushed for
the establishment of Law Day. Rhyne argued for the appellants in Baker v. Carr3 and National
League of Cities v. Usery,4 and he presented the case on rearguement for the appellants in Mobile
v. Bolden.5
The National Association of Counties (NACo) was founded in 1935, and NACo maintains its
headquarters on Masschusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C.6 The NACo motto is “The Voice of
America's Counties.”
The National League of Cities (NLC), with its headquarters located on Pennsylvania Avenue
in Washington, D.C., provides advocacy and membership service for over 19,000 municipal
governments.7 The NLC motto is “Helping City Leaders Build Better Communities.” The NLC has
a membership relationship with forty-nine state leagues.8
1 About Us, International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
2 About/Mission/History, International Municipal Lawyers Association. For additional information on Charles
S. Rhyne, see Legends in the Law, DC Bar (The copy in HeinOnline for April/May 1998, at 12, does not contain a
readable copy of the beginning page); Paul Lewis, Charles S. Rhyne, 91, Lawyer In a Landmark Case, Drowns, N.Y.
TIMES, Aug. 3, 2003, at N27. Charles S. Rhyne, Cases Argued, Oyez.org.
3 369 U.S. 186 (1962).
4 426 U.S. 833 (1976).
5 446 U.S. 55 (1980).
6 About NACo, National Association of Counties.
7 About NLC, National League of Cities.
8 Member Directory, State Municipal Leagues, National League of Cities. Examples of state organizations are
the League of California Cities (Cacities), the Illinois Municipal League (IML), the Indiana Association of Cities and
Towns (IACT), the Michigan Municipal League (NML), the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal
2 About/Mission/History, International Municipal Lawyers Association. For additional information on Charles
S. Rhyne, see Legends in the Law, DC Bar (The copy in HeinOnline for April/May 1998, at 12, does not contain a
readable copy of the beginning page); Paul Lewis, Charles S. Rhyne, 91, Lawyer In a Landmark Case, Drowns, N.Y.
TIMES, Aug. 3, 2003, at N27. Charles S. Rhyne, Cases Argued, Oyez.org.
3 369 U.S. 186 (1962).
4 426 U.S. 833 (1976).
5 446 U.S. 55 (1980).
6 About NACo, National Association of Counties.
7 About NLC, National League of Cities.
8 Member Directory, State Municipal Leagues, National League of Cities. Examples of state organizations are
the League of California Cities (Cacities), the Illinois Municipal League (IML), the Indiana Association of Cities and
Towns (IACT), the Michigan Municipal League (NML), the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal
Free Resources to Find Laws and Case Studies:
Google Scholar - Search Case Law Google Scholar offers an extensive database of state and federal cases, including:
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions
- U.S. Federal District, Appellate, Tax, and Bankruptcy Court Opinions
- U.S. State Appellate and Supreme Court Opinions
- Scholarly articles, papers, and reports
- Patents: U.S. Patents; European Patent Office and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patents
Summary of Laws by State - Learn About the Law features informational articles about a wide variety of legal topics, as well as specific information about subjects such as how to hire an attorney and understanding your state's unique laws.
FindLaw.com
FindLaw.com
Justia - is an American website specializing in legal information retrieval. It was founded in 2003 by Tim Stanley, formerly of FindLaw, and is one of the largest online databases of legal cases. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Justia.com
Justia.com
Public.Resource.Org - is a 501 non-profit corporation dedicated to publishing and sharing public domain materials in the United States and internationally. It was founded by Carl Malamud and is based in Sebastopol, California. Public.Resource.org
Research Guides:
One of the Online Legal Research Guides of UCLA’s Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library is
Municipal Codes Online, and the webpage provides a good list of eight code publishers and
providers sites (see below) as well as fifteen states (see below).
Municipal Codes Online, and the webpage provides a good list of eight code publishers and
providers sites (see below) as well as fifteen states (see below).
Statewide Web Guides:
Note: Also look on the page for your state.
Arizona - Judicial Branch of Arizona, Maricopa County, Law Library (Arizona City Codes).
California - Institute of Government Studies, University of California, Berkeley (California Local
Codes and Charters).
Codes and Charters).
Idaho - Idaho State Law Library, City Codes/Ordinances for Idaho.
Illinois - Illinois Municipal League's Complete List of Municipal Codes
Iowa - Drake University School of Law Library, Iowa Municipal and County Law.
Maine - Garbrecht Law Library, University of Maine School of Law, Maine Town & City Ordinances
Maryland - Maryland State Law Library, Maryland Muncipal Codes - Organized by Cities and Counties.
Michigan - Michigan State University College of Law Library, Michigan Ordinances & Code
Minnesota - Minnesota State Law Library, Minnesota County and Municipal Ordinances
Nevada - Nevada State Legislature, Nevada County and City Codes Online
New Mexico - University of New Mexico School of Law Library, New Mexico City and County Ordinances
Utah - Howard W. Hunter Law Library, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University Utah City Codes and Utah County Codes.
Wisconsin - Wisconsin State Law Library, Wisconsin Ordinances & Codes
Washington - Washington City and County Codes - Municipal Research and Services Center of
Washington - MRSC
Washington - MRSC
Code Publishers and Providers:
The American Legal Publishing Company (AmLegal - Library), founded in 1934, produces municipal codes for over 2,000 municipal and local governments in thirty-six states. A significant number of Indiana cities and counties are clients of AmLegal (Codes of Ordinances for Indiana). Major Cities include Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
ClerkBase (website - Client List), started in 1993, produces codes for over 150 municipal governments, primarily in New Jersey and Rhode Island. ClerkBase produces the code for Newark, New Jersey.
The Code Publishing Company (CPC - eLibrary) is a Seattle-based producer of municipal codes established in 1989. Although initially focused on the West Coast, CPC has expanded across the country with clients in twenty-three states. The majority of CPC’s municipal clients are in Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington. CPC also produces two Tribal Codes. Major cities include Phoenix.
Coded Systems LLC (website - Code Library) produces municipal codes for cities in ten states.
The Colorado Code Publishing Company (website - Online Code Books) produces municipal codes for a number of cities in Colorado including Boulder and Fort Collins.
Conway Greene (website - Municipal Codes Online) is a “publishing services consulting company” founded by former officers of the Banks-Baldwin Law Publishing Company. Together with the Cleveland-based Walter H. Drane Company (website - Online Codes), they produce codes for mostly smaller cities in Ohio and West Virginia. Conway Greene also works with the New Mexico Compilation Commission.
The Franklin Legal Publishing (website) of Lubbock, Texas, concentrates its efforts on smaller cities in Texas.
General Code, LLC. (website - eCode 360 Library) of Rochester, New York, was founded in 1962, and they produce codes for cities in twenty-two states with a focus on smaller cities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The Municipal Code Corporation (Municode - Code Library), with headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida, was founded in 1951. In 2009, Municode acquired over 500 LexisNexis accounts. Major cities include Charlotte, Houston, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio, and Seattle.
Quality Code Publishing (website - Online Codes) is located in Seattle, Washington. Their cities are concentrated in California.
Sterling Codifiers (website - Codes Online) of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has over fifty-five years of experience and clients in twenty states, nearly all west of the Mississippi River. Two cities of interest are Dubuque and Salt Lake City.
Major Multivolume Treatises:
MRSC Local Government Success: http://mrsc.org/Research-Tools.aspx
This is for the State of Washington, but there may be something similar in your state.
PATRICIA E. SALKIN, AMERICAN LAW OF ZONING, (5th ed. 2008-2013).
Thomson West
Westlaw – AMLZONING
Thomson West
Westlaw – AMLZONING
JOHN H. SILVESTRI & MARK S. NELSON, MCQUILLIN - THE LAW OF MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS, (3d
ed. 1949-2013).
Thomson West
KF5305.M34 1949 – print cancelled in 2008
Westlaw – MUNICORP
ed. 1949-2013).
Thomson West
KF5305.M34 1949 – print cancelled in 2008
Westlaw – MUNICORP
SANDRA M. STEVENSON, ANTIEAU ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW (2d ed. 1955-2013)
LexisNexis
KF5300.A6 A52
LexisNexis - ANLOGV
LexisNexis
KF5300.A6 A52
LexisNexis - ANLOGV
EDWARD H. ZIEGLER, JR., ARDEN H. RATHKOPF, & DAREN A. RATHKOPF, RATHKOPF’S THE LAW OF ZONING AND PLANNING (1975-2013).
Thomson West
KF5698 .R37 1975 – print cancelled in 1992
Westlaw - RLZPN
Thomson West
KF5698 .R37 1975 – print cancelled in 1992
Westlaw - RLZPN
Freedom of Information Act
Sometimes government offices are not forthcoming with information or withhold it. You can file a Freedom of Information Act Request and they will need to either produce the information for you or answer why it is being withheld. You can check the what applies to your State at: http://www.nfoic.org/state-freedom-of-information-laws