Municipal Code of Chicago: The Municipal Code of Chicago, also known as the City Code, is the collection of laws that govern the City, and includes the powers and duties of the Mayor, Aldermen, and City departments; licensing and permitting requirements; noise regulations; the Zoning Code; and the Building Code. When a Municipal Code amendment is passed in City Council, it is codified in the City Code.

Legislative Information Center: The City Clerk’s Legislative Information Center, also known as Legistar, provides access to Chicago City Council searchable databases for: (i) all legislation introduced to the City Council from December 1, 2010 to present, and all actions on such legislation; (ii) council and council-committee meeting calendars and agendas for such meetings; (iii) legislative bodies, members of such bodies, meeting history, and pending legislation in such bodies; and (iv) council members’ contact information, committee membership, and sponsored legislation. Note: Legislative records prior to December 1, 2010 can be found in the Journal of Proceedings (see link below).

When using Legistar to search for legislation, please take note of the various filters that can be used to narrow your search results, including date of introduction, date of passage, and sponsor. Another useful filter is the “Key Legislation” box, which will filter out more routine matters such as zoning and traffic ordinances. Selecting a search result will provide additional information about the measure, including a PDF copy, current status, and whether any substitutes have been introduced.

Links to live streams of City Council Meetings, Council-committee meetings, meetings of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and other boards and commissions related to City business, are available for the duration of such meetings on the City Clerk’s home page here. Archived videos of past City Council meetings can be found on the Legislative Information Center here and the City Clerk’s Vimeo account here. Archived videos of Council committee meetings can also be found on the Clerk’s Vimeo account here.

 

City Council Journal of Proceedings: The Journal of Proceedings is the official record of City Council meetings and reflects all legislative actions taken by City Council. If you are looking for legislation introduced or passed prior to 2010, the Journal of Proceedings is the place to start.

 

Rules of Order: The Rules of Order are the parliamentary rules and procedures governing the Chicago City Council, and dictate topics ranging from the conduct of City Council to committee meetings and how legislation is passed.

 

Illinois Compiled Statutes: The Illinois Compiled Statutes is the organized, compilation of laws passed by the State Assembly and signed into law by the Governor and includes the powers and duties of the Executive Branch, the Legislature, health facility and utility regulations and environmental and human rights laws.

Find Your Ward and Alderman: Chicago.gov offers Chicago residents a tool to help find your ward, alderman, and alderman’s contact information by address as well as provides a list of maps of each ward in the City.

Find Your Elected Officials: The Illinois State Board of Elections allows Illinois residents to find your elected state and federal officials by address.