Minnesota local government websites

• "Town" and "township" mean the same thing. Township governments exist in 84 of the 87 counties, each run by a board of supervisors. (U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))
• Most are small: 499 of the 854 cities and 1,565 of the 1,779 townships have fewer than 1,000 people. (U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))
• A statutory city clerk posts and publishes required notices and keeps the minute and ordinance books. A town clerk keeps the board's records and posts notices for town meetings. (Minn. Stat. 412.151 (opens in a new tab); Minn. Stat. 367.11 (opens in a new tab))

• The schedule of regular meetings is kept on file at the body's primary offices. A regular meeting moved to a different time or place needs special meeting notice. (Minn. Stat. 13D.04 (opens in a new tab))
• Emergency meetings need good-faith notice to news media that asked for it. "Posted or published notice of an emergency meeting is not required." (Minn. Stat. 13D.04 (opens in a new tab))
• Anyone who gets actual notice at least 24 hours ahead counts as notified. (Minn. Stat. 13D.04 (opens in a new tab))
• At least one copy of the printed materials for agenda items must be in the meeting room for the public. The statute doesn't ask for online packets. (Minn. Stat. 13D.01 (opens in a new tab))
• House Research notes the 10-day website notice for meetings by interactive technology applies to state entities, not to other public bodies. (Minnesota House Research (opens in a new tab))

Plenty of cities post online anyway. Minnetonka (opens in a new tab), for example, posts special meeting notices on the bulletin board, the chamber door and its website. Just don't let the website replace in-person access: in Advisory Opinion 22-002, a town with no regular office hours didn't give proper access by pointing a requester to minutes on its website (House Research guide (opens in a new tab)).

• Everyone at the regular location must be able to hear and see the whole meeting, and the body allows remote monitoring by the public "to the extent practical." (Minn. Stat. 13D.02 (opens in a new tab))
• Minutes list the members who joined remotely and why. (Minn. Stat. 13D.02 (opens in a new tab))
• During a declared emergency, 13D.021 allows meetings by phone or video, and the notice must include how the public can monitor remotely. (Minn. Stat. 13D.021 (opens in a new tab))
• Closed meetings, other than attorney-client sessions, are recorded and generally kept at least three years. An intentional violation can bring a civil penalty of up to $300. (Minnesota House Research (opens in a new tab))

• The responsible authority also keeps an updated data inventory and sets procedures so requests are handled "in an appropriate and prompt manner." (Minn. Stat. 13.025 (opens in a new tab); Minn. Stat. 13.03 (opens in a new tab))
• Public data requests have no fixed day count. Requests from people about their own data are due immediately or within 10 days, not counting weekends and holidays. (Minn. Stat. 13.03 (opens in a new tab); Minn. Stat. 13.04 (opens in a new tab))
• Inspection is free, including remote access to electronic data. Copies of 100 or fewer black-and-white pages cost no more than 25 cents a page. (Minn. Stat. 13.03 (opens in a new tab))
• Since 2025, if a requester doesn't pick up and pay for data within five business days of being told it's ready, the entity may suspend the response. (Laws 2025 (opens in a new tab))

• "Publish" means the newspaper's print edition and its e-edition. A qualified newspaper with a website also posts each notice there and on the Minnesota Newspaper Association's statewide site at no added cost. (Minn. Stat. 331A.01 (opens in a new tab); Minn. Stat. 331A.02 (opens in a new tab))
• When a paper closes, the local government posts notices on its own website and on the association's statewide site until a new paper is designated. (Minn. Stat. 331A.10 (opens in a new tab))
• HF 4797, which would have widened website publication, was referred to committee in April 2026 with no further action. A 2026 law lets courts post some notices online but expressly not political subdivisions. (Minnesota Legislature (opens in a new tab); Laws 2026 (opens in a new tab))
• Statutory cities publish council proceedings, or a summary, within 30 days, and cities under 1,000 people are exempt. Ordinances run once in the official newspaper. (Minn. Stat. 412.191 (opens in a new tab))
• Townships publish ordinances once in a qualified newspaper and post the full text in the community library or another public place. (Minn. Stat. 365.125 (opens in a new tab))
• A body that meets no more than once every 30 days needn't publish minutes until 10 days after they're approved. (Minn. Stat. 331A.08 (opens in a new tab))

• The website address on the truth-in-taxation notice was added by the 2023 Legislature. A taxing authority without a website can tell the county, and none is listed. The public budget meeting is after November 24 and not before 6:00 p.m. (Minn. Stat. 275.065 (opens in a new tab); Minnesota Department of Revenue (opens in a new tab))
• The other ways to give the top-three-salaries notice are a publication sent to all residents or the truth-in-taxation notice. (Minn. Stat. 471.701 (opens in a new tab))
• Since December 1, 2024, every political subdivision reports cybersecurity incidents to the state within 72 hours, and vendors serving one must report incidents that affect it. That belongs in any website hosting contract. (Minn. Stat. 16E.36 (opens in a new tab))

DOJ measures population with the 2020 Census, so treat these as estimates. Its August 2026 regulatory agenda signals it may propose changes, and the League of Minnesota Cities (opens in a new tab) said it would keep pushing for exemptions tailored to very small jurisdictions (regulatory agenda (opens in a new tab)).

Minnesota's own accessibility law, Minn. Stat. 16E.03 (opens in a new tab), applies to executive branch state agencies, whose standard moved to WCAG 2.1 AA on July 1, 2024 (MNIT (opens in a new tab)). A site a vendor hosts for a city or county is still covered by the federal rule, which reaches content provided "through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements" (2024 rule (opens in a new tab)). Our deadlines guide explains the exemptions.

• League of Minnesota Cities (opens in a new tab), including its website accessibility recommendations (opens in a new tab).
• Minnesota Association of Townships (opens in a new tab) and Association of Minnesota Counties (opens in a new tab).
• MCFOA (opens in a new tab), whose 2027 conference runs March 9 to 12 in Bloomington, and the Minnesota City/County Management Association (opens in a new tab) for administrators.
• The Office of the State Auditor's statement of position on meeting minutes (opens in a new tab).

• The State Auditor describes the CPV as a members-only joint powers program run by the Department of Administration, with no membership fee at present. Counties, cities, towns and townships are eligible. (Office of the State Auditor (opens in a new tab); MPCA (opens in a new tab))
• Outside the CPV, a municipality may skip its own bid when buying through a national municipal association's purchasing alliance or a joint powers cooperative that bought competitively. That subdivision speaks of "supplies, materials, or equipment," so ask your attorney about a services contract. (Minn. Stat. 471.345 (opens in a new tab))
• Sourcewell is a Minnesota service cooperative funded by supplier fees, and participation is free for government entities. (Sourcewell (opens in a new tab); Sourcewell (opens in a new tab))
• Reverse auctions are allowed for supplies but not services, and electronic bidding is allowed. (Minn. Stat. 471.345 (opens in a new tab))