Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, the largest city in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States, and the county seat of

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...

, operates under a

Mayor–council government A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...

system. This article provides an overview of the structure and functions of Minneapolis's

city government A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Charter and ordinances

Minnesota was the fourth state in the U.S. to permit "

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

" in 1896. A home rule charter serves as a constitution for a

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

. It allows a community to establish and maintain a municipal corporation to provide for the common health, safety, and welfare. Several early attempts to establish a home rule charter in Minneapolis failed. In 1920, the matter was resolved by the

Minnesota State Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenni ...

when it codified the general

statutes A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

applicable to first class cities as well as all special laws specific to the City of Minneapolis at that time into the City’s first home rule charter. That charter remained in effect—through multiple amendments—until 2013, when a complete revision, including the incorporation of

plain language Plain language is writing designed to ensure the reader understands as quickly, easily, and completely as possible. Plain language strives to be easy to read, understand, and use. It avoids verbose, convoluted language and jargon. In many countr ...

principles, was adopted by voters in 2013.

Ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * Em ...

s are laws or regulations enacted by the city council designed to address the specific needs and concerns of Minneapolis, including zoning, public safety, noise control, and business regulation.

Structure

City Council

The

Minneapolis City Council The Minneapolis City Council is the Legislature, legislative branch of the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota, United States. Comprising 13 members, the council holds the authority to create and modify laws, policies, and ordinances that govern the ...

is the primary legislative body, consisting of members elected from 13 wards. The council holds significant power over local legislation, budget decisions, and oversight of city departments.

Mayor

The

Mayor of Minneapolis The mayor of Minneapolis is the chief executive officer of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, responsible for overseeing the city's administration. As the political and ceremonial leader of the city, the mayor also represents Minneapolis on the ...

, currently a position held by a member of the

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Minnesota ( ) is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and No ...

(DFL), operates alongside the city council. The mayor's role was previously considered relatively weak compared to some other U.S. cities, but following a charter amendment in 2021, the mayor gained more power and the council was reduced to purely legislative duties. The mayor appoints heads of various city departments.

Departments

Minneapolis Police Department The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the second-oldest police department in Minnesota ...

Minneapolis Fire Department The Minneapolis Fire Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Operations The MFD currently operates out of 19 Fire Stations, located throu ...

Administrative bodies

The city administration also includes several independent boards responsible for parks, taxation, and public housing. These boards have the authority to levy taxes and fees within their respective areas, subject to limitations set by the Board of Estimate and Taxation.

Boards and commissions

Advisory

Independent bodies

Political landscape and elections

Minneapolis is known as a stronghold for the DFL, reflecting a liberal-leaning political climate. The city council is predominantly composed of DFL members, with occasional representation from other parties such as the Green Party or the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...

Neighborhoods

The city is divided into communities, each containing neighborhoods. For example, the Near North community is composed of the

Hawthorne Hawthorne often refers to the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne may also refer to: Places Australia *Hawthorne, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane Canada * Hawthorne Village, Ontario, a suburb of Milton, Ontario United States * Hawt ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, Near North, Sumner-Glenwood and Willard-Hay neighborhoods. Neighborhoods coordinate activities under the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. In some cases two or more neighborhoods act together under one organization. Some areas are commonly known by nicknames of business associations like

Dinkytown Dinkytown is a commercial district within the Marcy-Holmes, Minneapolis, Marcy-Holmes neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Centered at 14th Avenue Southeast and 4th Street Southeast, the district contains several city blocks occupied by vari ...

, Downtown, Midtown and

Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...

. and and

Foreign consulates

The following list are countries that currently have

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

offices in Minneapolis: * * * * * * * ( Honorary Consulate General)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Law And Government Of Minneapolis Minneapolis–Saint Paul