Ordinances

Municipal Code Online Library

The Municipal Code Online Library is a codified compilation of all regulatory Ordinances of a municipality’s rules, regulations or standards (Government Code Section 50022.1). The Municipal Code is the primary code of the municipality, while any other codes adopted by reference are considered secondary codes (i.e., building, fire safety, electrical codes, etc.).

Access a collection of scanned ordinances here, grouped by year of adoption. If you have a general idea of the year the ordinance was adopted, or you would like to see what ordinances were passed in a specific year, you may choose to view the Index of Ordinances for that year and browse each title.

Definition

Ordinances are the laws of a municipality. They are the acts or law of a local governmental agency, expressed in written ordaining form. 

They are the most binding form of action taken by the City Council, the violation of which may be a misdemeanor, unless by Ordinance, it is made an infraction. Ordinances can be altered, repealed or changed by a subsequent Ordinance. 

Approval & Codification Process

Approval of an ordinance requires a first and second reading, with at least five days between, except in the case of urgency Ordinances. With few exceptions, Ordinances take effect 30 days after final passage.

Ordinances are codified into the Municipal Code Online Library following their second reading and adoption by the City Council. Supplements to the Code are published on a quarterly basis. Ordinances that have been adopted by Council and are in effect, but not yet incorporated into the Municipal Code, may be accessed the same as archived Ordinances.