Ordinance Modernization Task Force
On May 23, 2022 the City Council established a Task Force to review and recommend updates to the Duluth City Code. The city code is comprised of the City Charter and Legislative Chapters 1 – 51 which establish the authority, responsibilities, structures, and processes for the City of Duluth to operate. The Duluth City Code has grown and changed over the last 150 years reflecting the legal, social, and economic priorities of the community. While many of the chapters have been revised and updated in part over the years; the city has not undertaken a full review and revision of the city code in recent decades. The city’s goal of this process is to benefit all community members by having a Duluth City Code that is clear, consistent, and understandable.
Process and Timeline
The newly established Task Force is comprised of city councilors and city staff who are charged to review and recommend updates that reflect modern practices. Ultimately, the recommendations will go before the City Council; but relevant city boards and commissions will also be part of the review. Ideally the Task Force will wrap up its work by the end of 2023.
The Task Force has already begun review of the City Charter and first chapters and will continue sequentially through the chapters. The following lenses for modernization and improvement will be used by Task Force members:
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Strive to have fair processes and applicability; identify and eliminate potentially exclusionary components.
- Clarity. Provide a code that is clear, consistent, and without contradiction.
- Efficient & Enforceable. Ensure organizational capacity to efficiently administer and enforce.
- Forward Looking. Reinforce sustainability and embrace changing technology and societal shifts.
- Viable Community. Sustain a viable community and the vision outlined in Imagine Duluth 2035.
CHAPTER REVISION FLOW CHART
Review and Comment
The entire City Charter and Chapters 1 – 51 of the Legislative Code are available HERE.
The public is encouraged to review the city code chapters and submit comments for improvements. Input will be reviewed and considered as the task force develops revision recommendations. The Task Force anticipates a review schedule as follows:
| Chapter | Task Force Status | Next Steps |
| City Charter | Referred to Charter Commission | Referred to Charter Commission |
| Chapter 1: General Provisions | Revisions Available for Review | Comment Period 8/21/23 - 9/24/23 |
| Chapter 2: Administration | Under Review | |
| Chapter 3: Advertising | N/A | Previously Repealed, Complete |
| Chapter 4: Airports | Revisions Available for Review | Comment Period 8/24/23 - 9/24/23 |
| Chapter 4A: Ambulances | Complete, No Revisions | Complete |
| Chapter 5: Amusements | Under Review | |
| Chapter 6: Animals and Fowl | Revisions Available for Review | Comment Period 8/24/23 - 9/24/23 |
| Chapter 7: Auctions and Auctioneers | N/A | Previously Repealed, Complete |
| Chapter 8: Beverages | Under Review | |
| Chapter 9: Bicycles, Electric-Assisted Bicycles, and Motorized Foot Scooters | Under Review | |
| Chapter 9A: Shared Active Mobility Systems | Under Review | |
| Chapter 10: Buildings | Under Review | |
| Chapter 11: Tobacco and Tobacco Related Devices | Under Review | |
| Chapter 12: Civil Offenses | Under Review | |
| Chapter 13: Civil Service | Under Review | |
| Chapter 14: Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practices | Under Review | |
| Chapter 14A: Consumer Goods | Under Review | |
| Chapter 15: Dances and Dance Halls | Revisions Available for Review | Comment Period 8/24/23 - 9/24/23 |
| Chapter 16: Drug Paraphernalia | Under Review | |
| Chapter 17: Emergency Preparedness and Civil Defense | Under Review | |
| Chapter 18: Erosion and Sediment Control | Under Review | |
| Chapter 19: Fair Employment Practices | Under Review | |
| Chapter 20: Finance | Under Review | |
| Chapter 21: Fire Protection | Under Review |
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Comment Form
Submit comments or specific suggested changes by completing the form below: Please be advised that information submitted to the City of Duluth may be public data subject to the Minnesota Data Practices Act.