Legislation & Research
The Office of the City Clerk keeps the records of the City Council and makes them available to the public. We also get and keep many different types of documents from City departments that they are required by law or policy to file with us. See below for more information about the records we hold, how to find them, and what you can learn from them.
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Agendas, Minutes, and Other Meeting Records
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Agendas
How to get them
- See published agendas for meetings held from 2015 - present, including upcoming meetings
- See published agendas for meetings held from 2002 – meetings held 30 days ago
- Subscribe to agendas for upcoming meetings.
- Some agendas earlier than 2002 are available on the Seattle Municipal Archives' Digital Collections page or by contacting the Seattle Municipal Archives.
Learn More About Agendas
Minutes
How to get them
- 2015 to present
- 2002 to 2015
- Visit our research room to see minutes from 1901 to 2002 on microfiche, or in bound volumes from 1881-1900
Learn More About Minutes
Audio Recordings
How to get them
- If you know the date and name of a meeting, you can start by looking for it on the Seattle Municipal Archives' Digital Collections site - search for 4601-03 to find City Council audio
- If the meeting you wish to listen to is not posted, you can visit our research room to listen to a recording, or you can contact us to request a digital copy (mp3)
- To find a meeting that's of interest to you, you can search agendas (see above) for topics or specific legislation.
- The Seattle Channel broadcasts all Council and committee meetings, and the videos can be streamed or downloaded on their website for several years after meetings take place.
Learn More About Audio Recordings
Committees and Committee Records
How to get them
- See a list of current City Council standing committees and select committees, what they work on, when they meet, who is on them, and their published agendas.
- Search descriptions and membership information for Council committees from 1946 to present.
- Records of currently active committees are held by the office of the Councilmembers who chair them.
- Committee records are transferred to the Seattle Municipal Archives (SMA) when Councilmembers leave office, and can be found by searching for committee names or Councilmember names in the SMA's online Finding Aids.
Learn More About Committees & Committee Records
More About the Legislative Process
All actions taken by the City Council are taken on behalf of the people they represent. The legislative process ensures that they take these actions openly, and that the public have a chance to express their opinion on those actions.
Council Bills, Ordinances, Resolutions, Clerk Files, Appointments
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Council Bills and Ordinances
Where to find them
- Under consideration
Tip: Choose Council Bill or Ordinance from the Document Type menu, or leave unselected to search both - Acted on by Council
Learn More About Council Bills & Ordinances
Resolutions
Where to find them
- Under Consideration
Tip: Choose Resolution from the Document Type menu - Acted on by Council
Learn More About Resolutions
Appointments
Where to find them
- 2015-present
Tip: Choose Appointment from the Document Type menu - 1869-2015
Tip: Search in Title using appointment + the name of an individual or board/commission
Learn More About Appointments
Clerk Files (Referred to Council)
Where to find them
- Under Consideration:
Tip: Choose Clerk File from the Document Type menu - Acted on by Council
Learn More About Clerk Files (Referred to Council)
Clerk and Comptroller Files (Not Referred to Council)
Where to find them
Learn More About Clerk and Comptroller Files (Not Referred to Council)
Information Items, Reports, Presentations, and Other Background Information
Where to find them
- Items related to legislation that is under consideration by Council
Tip: use the Related Information section of the search page to search within these attached documents - In earlier years, these types of supporting documents may have been
- Linked from agendas
- Mentioned on agendas and available in committee records
- Designated as Comptroller Files or attached to legislation when it was transmitted to the Council
Searching Combined Legislation
You may not be sure which type of document will have the information you need, or there may be several that could, so it can be helpful to search within different types of documents at the same time.
More on the Legislative Process
All actions taken by the City Council are taken on behalf of the people they represent. The legislative process ensures that they take these actions openly, and that the public have a chance to express their opinion on those actions.
Rules, Contracts, Reports, and Other Filings
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Department Rules and Director's Rules
Where to find them
- Clerk Files - rules from all departments
- Seattle Ethics and Elections Rules
- Business Tax Rules
Learn More About Rules
Interlocal Agreements
- Can be found in the Clerk Files database
- Interlocal agreements document commitments made between the City of Seattle and other jurisdictions, such as King County or the State of Washington
- Most of these agreements are authorized by ordinance
- Tip: search for them using the name of the other party to the agreement, or keywords describing the subject
Reports
- City departments, public corporations, and other entities file annual or other types of reports with us, including the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report prepared by the City Budget Office
- You can find these in our Clerk Files database
- Some are available as PDFs or online text, especially from 2010 forward
- Earlier items are available in paper or on microfiche and can be reviewed in our research room
Consultant Contracts
Where to find them
- Our index to consultant contracts filed with our office
Learn More About Consultant Contracts
Records of Public Corporations
- Public corporations created by the City of Seattle are required to file certain documents with the City Clerk's Office
- Our Public Corporations Reference page brings all these documents together in one place.
Findings, Decisions, Recommendations of the Hearing Examiner
Where to find them
- Online text of decisions 1990-present
- Paper copies of decisions 1974-2012
Learn More About Information from the Hearing Examiner
Budgets, Budget Materials, and Annual Financial Reports
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Proposed, Adopted, and Endorsed Budgets
Where to find them
- Scanned copies of budgets filed with us are in Clerk Files, 2009-present
- Paper budgets filed with our office are kept in our research room, 1941-present
- City Budget Office
Learn More About Budgets
Council Budget Review Materials: Green Sheets, Budget Guidance Statements, Statements of Legislative Intent
Where to find them
- Clerk's Office budget document repository, 2009 to most recent completed budget Tip: does not include material from the current budget process
- Current budget process documents are posted on City Council Select Budget Committee and presented on agendas of the Council's Select Committee on the Budget
Learn More About Budget Materials
Seattle City Charter and Seattle Municipal Code
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Seattle Municipal Code(SMC)
Where to find them
- The currentSMC is hosted online by our codifier and updated on an ongoing basis
- The current print edition, updated quarterly, can be reviewed in our research room and at some branches of the Seattle Public Library
- Versions of the SMC as it stood in 1973, 1980, and at the end of 1995-2012 are also available online and in our research room
Learn More About the SMC
Seattle City Charter
Where to find it
- The current City Charteris hosted online by our codifier
- View four historic versions of the Charter at the Seattle Municipal Archives.
Learn More About the Seattle City Charter
Initiative, Referendum, Charter Amendment - Powers of the People
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Seattle's City Charter guarantees the people certain direct powers, including the power to suggest legislation to be voted on directly by the people (initiative), the power to propose a vote of the people to overturn legislation passed by the City (referendum), and the power to propose an amendment to the City Charter to be voted on by the people.
Initiative, Referendum, and Charter Amendment Guides
The City Clerk plays a role in part of these processes. Although we cannot and do not provide legal advice, we do offer informal information for those interested in exercising these rights.Initiatives in City Clerk Files
See documentation of initiatives that have been filed with the Office of the City Clerk.Historical List of Initiatives
View a comprehensive history of initiatives from 1910 to 2014 provided by the Seattle Municipal Archives.Referenda in City Clerk Files
See documentation of referenda that have been filed with the Office of the City Clerk.Charter Amendments
See documentation of Charter Amendments (City-sponsored as well as public-sponsored) that have been filed with the Office of the City Clerk.Historical Records
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The Office of the City Clerk is also the home of the Seattle Municipal Archives. The Archives' mission is to preserve and provide access to records of enduring value created or received by City agencies and elected officials. Just a few of the things you can do on their site include:
Find Seattle Quick Facts- Brief history of the City
- Lists of elected officials and department heads
- Historical election results
- ballot measures and their outcomes
- City symbols
- answers to frequently asked questions
Help With Research and the Legislative Process
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A core purpose of the Office of the City Clerk is to provide information that helps people understand their government's actions and participate in the public process. This information and the documents that contain it can be complicated, but we are here to help.
Research Assistance
Looking for current legislation? Need the exact text of a City of Seattle law? Interested in the history of City policy?You can call, e-mail, or visit our information and service desk.