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Category Archives: Municipal Code

Research Guides in Focus – Municipal Codes: A Beginner’s Guide, by Anna Price

30 Sunday Aug 2020

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Municipal Code

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress, Muncipal Code

https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2020/08/research-guides-in-focus-municipal-codes-a-beginners-guide/?loclr=eaiclb

I know what you’re thinking. Municipal codes? This has nothing to do with my job or the research I regularly need. Good point.  What if your house catches on fire and the fire hydrant across the street does not work? A fire truck loses one of its hoses on the main highway in town and causes an accident. Do you have a remedy? It’s in the municipal code. The police knock down the wrong door and the someone gets hurt – or worse, is killed? In each situation, the If you want to sue the city or town you live in, there’s a procedure just like state and federal courts, especially if you want to end up in state or federal court.  

I used to work for a municipality and have hundreds of examples of situations where something happened that caused someone wanted to make a complaint, complain about a neighbor, condemn a building, or sue the municipality.  If you live in any type of municipality, you are affected by the municipal code.

In your state statutes, you will usually find the municipal code under “Cities and Towns.” You can also find often find it simply by typing in the name of the town or city in your browser. This excellent beginner’s research guide tells you how to navigate it and more. I highly recommend a bookmark. -CCE

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Federal Court Rejects Portland’s Panhandling Ordinance.

15 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Constitution, First Amendment, Municipal Code, Municipal Law, Panhandling

≈ Comments Off on Federal Court Rejects Portland’s Panhandling Ordinance.

Tags

Anti-Camping, First Amendment, Homeless, Mayor Charlie Hales, Muncipality, Oregon, Panhandlers, Portland, U.S. Constitution, U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal

 Our View: Rejection Of Median-Strip Panhandling Ban Right Call For Portland, Portland Press Herald

http://tinyurl.com/l6o3gdp

It is estimated that 4,000 homeless people sleep on Portland’s streets. Portland’s Mayor Charlie Hales has been taking various measures since last summer to address with Portland’s homeless situation. Mayor Hales has said he wants to crack down on homeless camps by increasing homeless shelters, but has not set any specific amount for pay for shelters.

The Mayor’s anti-camping law allows police to “sweep” homeless  on sidewalks. In a “sweep,” the police discard the homeless’ few possessions, including warm clothing and blankets, in spite of the number of homeless who have frozen to death.

Mayor Hales says this law is not about homelessness but about lawlessness. Unfortunately for Mayor Hales, his actions have galvanized grass roots protesters to head this week towards City Hall with – literally – pitchforks and torches.

To the Portland Police Department’s credit, it responded to the recent extremely cold conditions by moving people to shelter. The Fire Department also did its part to help. Normally around 1,000 shelter beds are available for the homeless, but various agencies, such as the Red Cross, provided 350 more shelter beds.

This will, I hope, give you an idea of the scope of the homeless situation in Portland, the struggle to address it, and set the stage for the case discussed in this post from the Portland Press Herald.  An ordinance forbidding panhandling purportedly to address “public safety” has been struck down by a federal judge in support of the First Amendment. -CCE

There is something disturbing about seeing men and women standing near the roadway holding signs and asking for help. It’s hard to ignore a median-strip panhandler when you are sitting in a car stopped at a red light. It makes some people feel angry, others threatened.

Moving panhandlers off the median strips did not fix any of the real problems of poverty in Portland, but neither does knocking down the ordinance that banned them. City leaders should keep working to address the real problems of homelessness and extreme poverty.

But that’s not enough to override the First Amendment to the Constitution, according to U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal. In his ruling Wednesday, Singal struck down a Portland ordinance that banned standing in median strips by pedestrians as ‘content-based restriction on free speech.’

Judge Singal saw right through the city’s claim that the goal of the ordinance was to protect public safety, correctly pointing out that the ordinance did not prohibit people from posting campaign signs on the medians, which is at least as dangerous as standing still. . . .

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Beginner’s Guide to Municipal Codes.

10 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Library of Congress, Municipal Code, Municipal Law, Research

≈ Comments Off on Beginner’s Guide to Municipal Codes.

Tags

Barbara Bavis, Library of Congress, Municipal Code, Robert Brammer

Municipal Codes: A Beginner’s Guide, co-authored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, Legal Reference Specialists, Law Library, Library of Congress

http://tinyurl.com/mdjuqk2

Great introduction to current and older municipal codes, where to find them, and secondary sources. – CCE

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Municipal Code Websites

25 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Municipal Code, Municipal Law

≈ Comments Off on Municipal Code Websites

Tags

Municipal Code, Municipal Law, Municode

Municode
http://www.municode.com/

Municode – MuniCode Pro Subscriptions ($)
http://www.municode.com/Online-Services/Munipro-Subscriptions

Municode.com |Online Library (Florida Only)
http://bit.ly/17O7BmL

General Code (all 50 states) – Online eCode 360 Library
http://www.generalcode.com/codification/ecode/library

Code Publishing – Municipal Codes
http://www.codepublishing.com/elibrary.html
(Note: Covers only 24 states.)

American Legion Publishing Company
http://www.amlegal.com/library/

Browser Requirements

This site supports the following Windows browsers: Internet Explorer 6 and later, Mozilla Firefox v. 3.0.5, and Chrome.
This site best supports the following Mac browsers: Mozilla Firefox v. 2.0 and later.
Note: Mac users may need to disable Javascript when using Firefox for better viewing of the site.
Note: If using an Ipad or other mobile device, please use the No Frame version for best results.
The web site also requires that java and cookie support are enabled on your browser. Keep in mind that different browsers may interpret and display web sites in slightly different ways and in some cases, this may result in aesthetic or functional differences when viewing or using the web site.
Note: The Bookmark flags may have trouble displaying accurately in some newer versions of Internet Explorer. If you experience difficulty in obtaining a URL link for a title, chapter or section, you may wish to try an alternate browser such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Additionally, the staff at American Legal Publishing would be happy to assist you as needed.
Code Publishing – Municipal Codes
http://www.codepublishing.com/elibrary.html

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