Premium Service Lets Users Search and Compare Municipal Ordinances Across State
February 27, 2006
In the pre-Internet days, it was a cumbersome process - at best - to compare one local government’s codes and ordinances with another’s. Now, accessibility to municipal codes from cities around the country is greater than ever.
The ability to view ordinances for different cities can be especially helpful to plan commissioners, zoning officials, attorneys and interested citizens, making for easy comparison from one town to another. By viewing several examples, it is easier to identify the norm when developing or revising a municipal ordinance.
When we took a “test drive” of Municode’s multiple code search tool, we were able to use a keyword(s) search to compare how several municipalities in the state of Kentucky define their residential setback rule, place restrictions on the number of false alarms a business is allowed before owing a fine, and allow signs in public places to promote special events. The site allows for a variety of search techniques, from simple to advanced to Boolean. We liked having the ability to view short, medium, or long excerpts from the ordinances in each result set, including the date of adoption.
The subscription-based service is “a huge time-saver for people who find themselves doing research in codes of more than one municipality,” says A. Lawton Langford, president and Chief Executive Officer of Municipal Code Corporation. For those with more sporadic needs to access codes, Municode.com also offers a free online library of codes from around the country.
Copyright © 2006, MuniNet Guide
Ramsey, MN