It’s often said that local government most directly impacts the lives of its constituents over any other level of government. Though that may be true, local government remains largely unknown or misunderstood to many people. A common area of misunderstanding is the use of ordinances and resolutions.
The two most basic differences between ordinances and resolutions are: (1) purpose; and (2) enforcement. Ordinances are statements that govern happenings in the municipality or county and are enforced by penalties that can go as far as imprisonment. Resolutions on the other hand are directions for how the jurisdiction should work administratively and typically do not come with a punishment.
Special Note: The Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman has provided funding for this training program from the 1% surcharge on all building permits in the State of Utah.
