Overview

Scope and Contents

Collection consists of the official ordinances of the Dallas City Council from 1871 to 1978.

Ordinances are laws passed by a municipal government.  They constitute the subject matter of municipal law and address issues, such as public safety, public streets and sidewalks, and zoning.

Until approximately 1977-1978, the Office of the City Secretary recorded original Dallas ordinances on multiple paper formats then later transcribed and copied them for preservation into a 13 x 18-inch ledger.  The department stopped using the ledgers when it began recording the official minutes on standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper.

The first extant volume of ordinances for the Town of Dallas dates to 1871, and the ordinances are referenced by date.  In 1916, the City Council began assigning numbers to its ordinances; beginning with Number 1, the ordinances numbering continued chronologically through the succeeding years.

To research city ordinances after Ordinance 15857 (in 1978), contact the Open Records Center in the Office of the City Secretary.  That team will provide instruction on accessing the more recent ordinances.

Organization

The books are arranged chronologically.

Access

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives.  All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.    The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

The ledgers themselves are fragile, and use is restricted.   Ordinances are available for viewing via paper and microfilm, except for the years 1956-1976; these dates are available only on paper.

Citation

Select the citation based on the type of ordinance book used.