City Council

This is an informational guide to Chapter 112 of the Cincinnati Municipal Code. Please consult the Cincinnati Municipal Code for further information, and address any questions you may have to the Clerk of Council.

In the broadest sense of the term, "to lobby" is to attempt to influence a councilmember, appointee of the Council, the City Manager, the director of any department listed in the Charter or Administrative Code of the City, or any member of the staff of any public officer or City employee decision maker. A citizen's voluntary opinion regarding a measure under consideration by a councilmember can be considered "lobbying." However, such ordinary activities of citizens who exercise their constitutional right to petition the government or individual members of the government on any matter are separate and distinct from "professional" lobbying, so long as such activities are exclusively the exercise of individual liberty.

A professional lobbyist, also known as a legislative agent or lobbyist, is a person who receives compensation for his or her efforts to influence councilmembers or other city decision makers on behalf of a client or employer. This is a guide for the "professional lobbyist."

These lobbying laws apply only to attempts to influence City of Cincinnati decision makers on the municipal level; the law does not apply to activities involving attempts to influence the decisions of county or state officials.