The City Clerk's Office serves as the official archivist for the City Council. Since 1837, we have collected, organized, securely stored and provided public access to Chicago’s official records. Explore our online archives and resources below. For the latest legislation, visit our Electronic Management System (eLMS) website.
- City Council Audio Recordings
Explore over 1,400 audio recordings of Chicago City Council meetings from 1970 to 2012, covering more than 40 years of mayoral administrations. Thanks to a 2024 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, these historic tapes were digitized and are now available online. Access them anytime on the Chicago City Clerk’s Internet Archive page.
- Index to Legislative Documents
The Index to Legislative Documents is a chronological record of official actions by the Chicago City Council. From 1833 to January 14, 1998, these indexes were kept in handwritten ledgers. All 58 digitized ledgers are now available on the Chicago City Clerk’s Internet Archive page.
- Annual Indexes to the Journals of the Proceedings
Annual indexes to the Journal of the Proceedings of the Chicago City Council were published from 1905 to 2004, detailing all legislation reviewed and passed each year. Digital copies are available for select years and can be accessed on the Chicago City Clerk’s Internet Archive page.
- Collections Finding Aids
A finding aid provides details about an archival collection, including its context and a list of its contents. The Chicago City Clerk’s Office holds many collections, such as City Council Committee and administrative files dating back to 1945 and earlier.
As they become available, finding aids for these collections will be uploaded to the Chicago City Clerk’s member page on the Chicago Collections Consortium website. Visit the page: chicagocollections.org/membership/consortium-current-members/city-chicago-office-city-clerk
Additional Resources
- City of Chicago Documents Prior to 1945
Legislative documents from the City of Chicago dated before 1945 are available at the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD), located in the Ronald Williams Library on the Northeastern Illinois University campus in Chicago. Visit: www.neiu.edu/neiu-libraries/about-libraries/study-space-other-special-areas/illinois-regional-archives-depository-irad for more information.
- Chicago City Council Proceedings Files, 1833-1871
The Illinois State Archives offers a searchable database of over 35,000 Chicago City Council proceedings files, covering the period from Chicago's incorporation as a town in 1833 to the Great Fire of 1871. Visit their website www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/databases/chicago_proceedings/home.html for more information.
- A Guide to Accessing the Digital Copies of the Journal of the Proceedings
The Chicago History Museum has created a guide to help you access digital copies of the Journal of the Proceedings. Journals from 1865 to the present are available online, though some years may be missing. Please visit: chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/CouncilProcGuide.htm to view the guides.
- Municipal Reference Collection at Chicago Public Library
The Chicago Public Library is an official archive for City of Chicago documents. The Municipal Reference Collection at Harold Washington Library is extensive and includes information on nearly every aspect of Chicago’s municipal life, with city documents available since the mid-1800s. For more information, visit Chicago Public Library's page at: www.chipublib.org/municipal-reference-collection/.