About Municipal Records

What are municipal records?  

Municipal records are the result of daily business conducted by City officials and employees. According to the Records Retention Manual(PDF, 571KB), some records are held permanently while others are destroyed when they are no longer needed. The records in the Archive are permanent or have been deemed historically valuable and are retained permanently. 

What kinds of municipal records are in the Archive? 

• Abstracts - documents the legal history of a piece of land acquired by the City.
• Board, Committee Minutes and Agendas – record of actions during Board, Commission, Committee, and Trust Meetings.
• City Code - ordinances that make up the regulations for doing business and residing in Oklahoma City, as approved by the City Council. 
• City Manager Reports – periodic reports to City Council detailing activities, project programs, or financial matters.
• Contracts – agreements that define mutually binding legal relationships between the City and providers of goods and services. 
• Council Proceedings – record of Council actions during City Council meetings.
• Election Files – official election records of Oklahoma City, including sample ballots and counts of votes by ward.
• News Clippings, Scrapbooks – scrapbooks of newspaper and loose clippings that pertain to the history and development of Oklahoma City.
• Ordinance – a law or regulation passed by the City Council, sometimes included in the City Code.
• Petitions – requests for action from residents, including text of request, signature pages, and outcome of request. 
• Building Plans and Specifications – architectural drawings and booklets showing the nature and extent of a proposed construction project.
• Resolutions – A statement issued to approve a position or enact further action. A resolution is not a law and does not prescribe a permanent rule.