Ordinances

A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code. In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law. Groups try to pass ordinances to create new laws regarding living wages, zoning, age/speed limits, housing, and environmental preservation, as well as other issues.

Getting an ordinance passed requires good preparation, strategic methods for introducing it, and persistent lobbying. In the preparation stage, the group looking to enact the ordinance should meet and plan regularly, determine how receptive the local government will be to your ordinance, identify allies and potential detractors, reach out to allies to build a broad base of support, identify sources of funding and/or discounts for materials (such as flyers, postcards, petitions, ads—newspaper/radio/television, website, posters, billboards, and meeting rooms), and research local laws related to their issue. xiii After sufficient preparation, the group should find a sympathetic city or county council member and introduce the ordinance to them. Once the group has a city or country council sponsor, they should begin lobbying. This often involves educating councilpersons on the issue by passing out education packets, as well as publicizing the issue through action alerts, letters to councilpersons, op-eds in local publications, and other such efforts. xiv Finally, there will be a public hearing, followed by a vote. It is a good idea to rally supporters to attend the hearing and have strong witnesses testify at the hearing. And before the vote, groups should encourage their support base to write their legislators. xv

For more detailed tips on how to pass a local ordinance, go to: udect.org