The Detroit City Charter establishes our city’s local government, outlines its responsibilities as well as the rights of all local citizens–all Detroiters. You can think of it like our city’s constitution. There have been seven city charters in Detroit’s history and in 2018 a Charter Revision Commission was elected to review the city charter and make recommendations for changes. Detroit voters must approve any changes to the charter which are proposed on the ballot. You can download the latest city charter below.
Past City Charters – 1802, 1815, 1857, 1918, 1974, 1997