Case Study: City of Seattle increases transparency and accessibility with CivicPlus Codification

Seattle, Washington Takes its Code of Ordinances to an Online Platform

The City of Seattle needed to modernize its code of ordinances, which had existed only in hard-copy books for more than a century. Residents and staff had to call city hall or visit in person to review ordinances, and it was difficult to search across multiple volumes or compare versions. Seattle worked with CivicPlus using Codification to move the code online.

CivicPlus implemented a digital codification platform with tools like CodeBank, version comparison, and searchable online access. Staff can now upload PDFs easily, keep digital and printed versions aligned, and update code more efficiently, while residents can access ordinances from any device. The result was improved transparency, accessibility, and time savings for both the city and the community.

City of Seattle