Statutes, regulations, rules and constitutions
How to cite a municipal ordinance or city code
Cite a city or county code section by place, state, the code’s own title and the section, with the supplement or currency in parentheses.
Cite the ordinance itself, by its number and adoption date, when it was never codified or when your point is what the council did and when.
The ordinance demo on this site applies the code form to a real section from a city’s code.
7 real examples
Each citation is printed as the book prints it, from an authority the book checked against its source.
Seaside Park, N.J., Ordinance 2022-08, § 5 (adopted Apr. 28, 2022).
The authority
- Borough of Seaside Park Ordinance 2022-08 (eminent-domain acquisition, Block 73, Lot 34) (Borough Council of Seaside Park, N.J., Apr. 28, 2022)Source (seasideparkboroughnj.documents-on-demand.com)
Where the book teaches this
N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 8-107(1)(a).
The authority
- N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 8-107 (Unlawful discriminatory practices) (New York City (Administrative Code, Title 8))Source (nyc.gov)
Where the book teaches this
N.Y.C. Local Law No. 1 of 2026, § 1.
The authority
- N.Y.C. Local Law No. 1 of 2026 (Council of the City of New York, Jan. 3, 2026)
Seaside Park, N.J., Resolution 2022-127 (adopted Apr. 14, 2022).
The authority
- Borough of Seaside Park Resolution 2022-127 (T&M Associates engineering contract) (Borough Council of Seaside Park, N.J., Apr. 14, 2022)Source (seasideparkboroughnj.documents-on-demand.com)
Where the book teaches this
Hopewell, Va., Code § 19-135 (Supp. No. 10, 2026).
The authority
- Code of the City of Hopewell, Virginia § 19-135 (Failure to eliminate blight and/or submit spot blight abatement plan) (City of Hopewell, Va. (Municode, Supp. No. 10), Aug. 24, 2026)Source (library.municode.com)
Where the book teaches this
Hopewell, Va., Ordinance 2014-14 (adopted Sept. 9, 2014).
The authority
- City of Hopewell Ordinance 2014-14 (Spot Blight Abatement, ch. 19 art. VI) (Hopewell City Council, Sept. 9, 2014)Source (mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us)
Where the book teaches this
Porter County, Ind., Ordinance 15-01 (approved on second reading Mar. 3, 2015).
The authority
- Porter County Ordinance 15-01 (amending Ordinance 12-08, inmate processing fee) (Porter County Board of Commissioners, Mar. 3, 2015)Source (portercountyin.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Where the book teaches this
The full rule, its exceptions and the reasons for it are in these sections.