Glossary of Codification Terms

The following is a glossary of terms used in the codification industry, and within MCC.

Addition:

Like a "revision," for example, "Addition to Supp. No. 12"; means something should have been included in Supplement No. 12, but for some reason wasn't.

Adopting ordinance:

The ordinance that adopts the Code of Ordinances as a whole. This ordinance is usually included in the front of the Code volume, and is part of the "prelims."

Analysis (article, section):

Article and section analyses are usually found at the beginning of a chapter, although sometimes section analyses are at the beginning of the article in which they are located.

1. Article Analysis:
   lists the articles and divisions found in the chapter (by name) and the numbers of the sections contained within each article and division.
2. Section Analysis:
   lists all the section catchlines within a chapter, as well as the article and division titles.

Analysis (of a Code):

A detailed analysis of a Code by an attorney. As a rule, the Code is reviewed for conflicts with the statutes of the state, for constitutional problems, and for conflicts between ordinances. A detailed memorandum of the attorney's findings and recommendations is sent to the city. The city may then draft legislation based on the memorandum, or direct implementation of the analysis through the supplement service.

Annotation:

A brief note to the text calling the reader's attention to a court decision interpreting or passing on the validity of a specific ordinance codified in a Code.

Appendix:

A body of material that is not "officially" part of the Code, but can be found within the same binder as the Code. Material contained in an appendix usually differs in format and/or style from material within Code chapters, and may have a different adoption procedure.

Article:

The first major unit of organization within a chapter in a typical MCC-published Code.

Binder:

While there are several types of binders, use of the word "binder" by MCC means the binder contains a leatherette finish, posts, with a slide-lock mechanism, and is expandable. The other types of binders include ring, D-ring, polyvinyl and heat-sealed. When one of these types of binders is to be used, a specific reference to it will be made.

Brackets [ ]:

By editor:

Brackets are used by the editor to call attention to the fact that a given word or phrase has been added by the editor and was not part of the original legislation.

By city:

Brackets are often used by cities to enclose specific text that is to be deleted. Usually the editor will strike through the wording intended for omission, along with the brackets surrounding it.

Catchline:

The boldface titles of sections. Catchlines are not considered to be substantive, rather they are descriptive of the matter contained in the section.

Chapter:

The first major unit of organization of a typical MCC-published Code. It is usually titled with a general subject such as "Animals," "Motor Vehicles and Traffic," etc. Chapters are alphabetized, with the exception of Chapter 1, which is usually titled "General Provisions" and contains material applicable to the whole Code.

Checklist of up-to-date pages (or checklist):

A list indicating from which Supplement the most current version of a page should come. The purpose of the checklist is to enable the Code user to ensure they are relying on the most current page.

Comparative tables:

1. Charter comparative table:
   Shows the location within the charter of amendments to the charter, whether such amendment was in the form of a special act of the legislature, an ordinance, an ordinance subject to referendum, or by a measure adopted by initiative provisions of the city's charter or state statute.
2. Code Comparative Table:
   This table contains a list of the sections of the former code and their location in the new code, if they have been retained. Also listed are ordinances enacted subsequent to the date of publication. They are listed by ordinance number, with placement (section within the Code) of the ordinance indicated in the second column.

Cross reference:

A reference note following a section or placed as a footnote to a chapter, article or division title, referring to another provision(s) within the same Code which is similar in subject matter or in some way relevant.

Cut-off date:

The date of adoption of the last piece of legislation included in a Code or a supplement.

Disposition table:

Similar to a comparative table, except that it contains all ordinances (and possibly resolutions and motions) adopted, and often contains a column for a brief description of the subject of the ordinance.

Division:

The second level of classification within a chapter, it is what article titles are subdivided into.

Ears:

The section number references appearing in the top left corner of left hand pages and the top right corner of right hand pages indicating, alternately, the section number of the first line of text appearing on the left hand page and the section number of the last line of text on the right hand page. The ear is sometimes referred to as a "guide head."

Editor's note:

A note following a section or, if placed as a footnote to a chapter, article or division title, at the bottom of a page, explaining an editorial decision or calling the user's attention to facts not obvious from the Code text.

Folio:

The page number printed at the bottom of the page. Also, the name of the search and retrieval software with which we integrate the text of our Codes for delivery on CD ROM or the Internet.

Footnote:

A note to a title (chapter, article, division, etc.), section catchline, section, text. It's placement is usually at the bottom of the page.

Guide head:

The section number that appears at the top left hand or right hand corner of a printed page. Also see "Ears."

Gutter:

The vertical white space between two columns of text or between columns in a table.

History note:

The parenthetical note at the end of a section which indicates the legislative history of the section.

Index:

An alphabetical key to subjects within a Code or part of a Code.

1. Charter index:
   The charter usually has its own separate index, which is usually located near the end of the volume, before the "Code index."
2. Code index:
   Usually the last set of pages in a Code, it contains an alphabetical list of the subjects included in the Code and the section numbers under which information regarding such subjects can be found.
3. Indexing of minutes:
   The process of extrapolating a subject index from minutes of an organization such as a city council, a school board, etc. This is a service offered by MCC which is distinct from publication of Codes and other documents.

Instruction sheet:

The first page of any supplement; it describes which pages to remove and which pages to insert to bring the Code up to date through that supplement.

Note:

An editor's note, cross reference, state law reference, etc., which follows a section, in contrast to a "footnote," which is dropped to the bottom of the page.

OC, O/C:

Abbreviations for "official copy" or "original codification." See those definitions.

Official copy:

The master copy of a Code maintained by the supplement department, up-to-date through the most recently printed supplement.

Officials page:

The first right hand page following the title page of a Code, listing the officials of the government. The officials page may contain the names of current officials or the names of the officials at the time the Code was originally published or, in some cases, a Code will contain two or more officials pages, listing both the present and former officials.

Original codification:

The codification of the legislation of a local government for the first time. OC or O/C pages are pages in the "official copy" which have not been affected by supplementation.

Page:

The area on one side of a sheet of paper. A sheet contains two pages.

Page size:

The actual dimensions, in inches, of a sheet of paper. Most of our codes are 8 1/2 x 11 (eight and one-half inches wide by eleven inches long).

Paper covers:

The heavy-duty colored paper used to cover a publication or a pamphlet that doesn't have a binder.

Part:

Usually the first organizational unit of a Code, "Part I" is typically "The Charter" and "Part II" is typically "The Code."

Penalty, general penalty:

The penalty, usually located in chapter 1 of our Codes, which applies to all violations of the Code unless otherwise specified.

Point:

The term we use to indicate the punctuation mark commonly called a "period."

Point number:

The point number assigned to a page or section or chapter, etc., when it is necessary to insert material between existing pages or sections or chapters, etc. For instance, if a page needed to be added between pages 48 and 49, it would be "point numbered" as 48.1.

Preface:

The introductory material included in our Codes between the officials page and the adopting ordinance (or table of contents if the code has not yet been adopted). The preface explains the origin and basic setup and major features of the Code.

Prelims:

The title page, the officials page, the preface, the adopting ordinance and the table of contents pages.

Publications (types):

1. Code (or codification):
   No existing Code. All ordinances are reviewed in conjunction with state laws and court decisions, and grouped according to general subject matter (usually chapters, which are then arranged alphabetically). Our attorney rewrites and revises as deemed necessary. The new Code is then adopted by the city upon completion.
2. Compilation:
   An organization of ordinances by very general subject titles, which is indexed and published without revising and rewriting the ordinances. An entire ordinance is set out almost exactly as adopted. The compilation itself is not adopted by the city.
3. Cumulative supplement:
   New amendments are not worked into the base volume. Each cumulative supplement includes legislation passed during the current year, plus material included in previous years' cumulative supplements--therefore the size of the volume continues to grow. Generally, the volume is republished every five years to incorporate all legislation (cumulative supplements) into the base Code.
4. Publication:
   Similar in organization to a Code, a publication is a compilation of ordinances never before categorized and published. Material is grouped by subject matter similar to the process followed for grouping ordinances in a Code (from "Animals" to "Zoning"), and catchlines and section numbers are assigned. Severability and repealing clauses are omitted, as well as titles of ordinances. The end product resembles a Code, but the contents have not been reviewed by an attorney for MCC for conformance with state law. A recommended adopting ordinance is usually submitted to the city for use in adopting the volume.
5. Recodification:
   Existing Code is redone and republished. Our attorney uses the existing Code as updated through the latest supplement and any other ordinances (old and new) that have not been included in the existing Code. The new Code is adopted by the city upon completion. Review and rewriting procedures followed for a codification are followed for a recodification.
6. Reprint pamphlet:
   Portions of the Code volume are reprinted in looseleaf pamphlet form for sale and distribution separately from the Code of Ordinances.
7. Republication:
   An existing Code which needs updating to include recent legislation is completely reprinted. Perhaps a change in page format is desired by the city, as well as a cleaner, more professional looking Code. Republication includes implementation of improvements such as a new index, updated cross references and a comparative table of ordinances. No substantive changes are made unless authorized by the city. The Code is usually not reorganized, but chapters, sections, etc., may be renumbered to eliminate point numbers, and previous supplement numbers are usually stripped off. The republished Code may be adopted by the city.
8. Supplement:
   New ordinances are incorporated into an existing Code on a page-for-page substitution basis. The index and all appropriate tables are updated to reflect incorporation of the new material. The newly printed pages are then shipped either to the city or to current holders of the Code with an instruction sheet containing specific directions for removing obsolete pages and inserting the replacement pages.

Reformatting:

The process of changing the form of an existing Code, part of a Code (such as a zoning reprint) or some other existing publication. For instance, a zoning ordinance might be included in a 6 x 9 Code but the customer might request their zoning reprints in the 8 = x 11 single column format.

Reprint or reprint pamphlet:

Specific chapters, groups of chapters, or other parts of a code that are printed as a stand-alone publication. The pamphlet contains the relevant chapter or appendix together with the index pages that relate to it.

Revision:

A published revision to a supplement--usually issued to correct some type of error in the supplement. Also see "Errata."

Right hand page:

The page on the reader's right when a Code is open; usually odd-numbered.

Rule:

A solid line of type, usually used to set off footnotes from the rest of the page (a 4-M rule) or to underline a block of text (for instance, a name), or to indicate a deliberate blank space (e.g., the line where a signature would appear).

Running head:

The titles at the tops of left hand and right hand pages.

Section:

The basic unit of a chapter, article, division or subdivision, it consists of one or more paragraphs or subsections and deals with one very specific subject.

Short page:

A page that contains less than a full page of type.

State law reference:

A reference to the law of a state, typically printed in a slightly different type than the body of the Code, it follows the section to which it applies or drops as a footnote from the chapter, article or division title to which it applies. The term also refers to a reference to state law within the text of any section.

State law reference table or statutory reference table:

This table shows the location in the Code, whether in text or notes, of state law references.

Table of contents:

A table that shows all the major components of a Code and the page number on which each begins.

Tables (charts, figures, diagrams, tables, tabular material, illustrations):

Any material that is not in standard textual form, i.e., reading left to right in a straight line of continual words that extends to the right hand margin.

Tabs:

Dividers of heavy-duty paper, which have a title printed on a tab that extends beyond the Code pages; used for ease in locating particular parts of a Code.

1. Standard tabs:
   Charter, Code, Appendix, Code Comparative Table (or Tables), Charter Index, Code Index (stocked in-house).
2. Special order tabs:
   Tabs which have the names of specific chapters or appendixes or other Code parts printed on them and which must be ordered on a case-by-case basis. Almost all new Codes now include special order tabs.