A municipality is a city or county, and the governing bodies within a city or county follow municipal law. Municipal law involves laws, taxes, land use, business licensing, and regulations within cities and counties. Municipalities are legally structured as corporations, which allows them to conduct business. A municipality can directly hire attorneys who specialize in municipal law, and these attorneys work exclusively for that municipality as corporate counsel.
How Municipality Law is Created and Conducted
City or town councils whose members are elected by local residents create municipal law. The municipal law can vary between municipalities, and since the residents elect council members, residents have a lot of input over the laws that are created.
Regularly scheduled council meetings are held and are governed by bylaws, which are a set of instructions on how to conduct meetings, votes, record taking, and budgeting. Residents are allowed to attend their local council meetings where they can influence the decisions of the council members.
When a city council votes on a new law, it becomes known as an ordinance. Many ordinances involve real estate and land use. Municipalities set zoning rules and property taxes, and these ordinances affect both residential and commercial property owners.
What Areas are Municipalities Involved In?
Some of the other areas where municipalities are involved in include police power, education law, civil rights, and deciding on how to spend tax revenues. If you are in the Palm Springs area and have a municipal law issue, contact our Palm Springs government law firm that is familiar with the ordinances in your area.
