Municipalities have legislative authority, or police power, to enact ordinances with the full force and effect of law. A municipality’s authority under it’s police power is broad with the ultimate purpose of safeguarding the health and general welfare of its citizenry. It is not, however, without limits – regulations must have a rationale basis and reasonably promote the intended purpose.
There are essentially four types of municipalities: Home Rule Municipalities and General Law Cities, Type A, Type B, or Type C. Ordinances are the product of the legislative functions of a City Council generally authorized under state statute or city charter. Municipal courts have exclusive original jurisdiction in all cases that arise under a City’s ordinances, as well as have civil abatement authority in some instances. This paper is to familiarize you with the authority underlying ordinances, the basic structure of ordinances and the options available to the courts for attaining compliance.

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