Texas City Charter Research

Cities in Texas were created differently depending on the laws in effect at the time. This guide provides information and research strategies to help you locate records documenting the establishment of a city’s government.

1836-1913

From 1836 until 1913, cities were chartered by special acts of the Republic of Texas Congress and later the Texas Legislature. These early special acts served as both charters and articles of incorporation. Many smaller cities did not receive state charters, and there was no specific size at which cities were required to obtain state charters.

1913-present

In 1912, Texas voters adopted the Home Rule Amendment to Article XI, Section 5 of the state constitution. Its enabling legislation passed in 1913 required any city with a population of more than 5,000 people to file a certified copy of the newly adopted charter, or any amendments to an existing charter, with the office of the Texas Secretary of State. The documents were also to be recorded by the city secretary or “other officer exercising like or similar powers.”  

The passage of the new law, however, did not prevent the Texas Legislature from continuing to issue or amend charters during this time period. The Texas Legislature’s practice of issuing and amending charters was discontinued after a 1920 court decision ruled the practice unconstitutional.

TSLAC maintains an index of cities in Texas with charters created by the Republic of Texas Congress, the Texas Legislature, or filed with the Texas Secretary of State. This index may not include all Texas cities with charters but can be an easy first step to finding documents recorded at the state level.

• Download the city charter index (PDF format, 13 MB)
• You can browse the index alphabetically by city name or search the text by keyword.

Let us know if you have trouble downloading or opening the file. Please note, the text includes handwritten notes and faint characters that may not be recognizable by screen readers. For assistance, please email Reference staff at ref@tsl.texas.gov. 

Entry for Burnet from Texas Secretary of State City Charter Index, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Entries include filing dates and citations for charters and amendments found in either Gammel’s Laws of Texas  or the Texas Secretary of State City Charters and Amendments  held by TSLAC.

• Roman numerals refer to Gammel’s Laws volume numbers. If you find an entry in the city charter index with Roman numerals, proceed to the Published (Transcribed) Laws section below.
• Arabic numerals refer to records filed in the Texas Secretary of State records at TSLAC. If you find an entry in the city charter index with Arabic numerals, proceed to the Signed (Original) Laws and Charters section below.

If you do not find the city you are researching in the city charter index, we suggest reviewing the strategies in the Published (Transcribed) Laws section below, or consider contacting Local Sources for assistance with your research.

Laws creating cities prior to 1920 may have been published in early volumes of Gammel’s Laws of Texas  available online through the Portal to Texas History, hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries.

• If a volume and page number is found in the city charter index above, you can navigate directly to that volume and page in Gammel’s Laws or search the text for the city name.
• If the city you are researching was not found in the city charter index, try searching the text by keyword. The title of the law will often include the words “incorporate” or “establish,” along with the name of the city, for example, “An Act to Incorporate the City of Belleville.”

In the example below, the chapter number is highlighted (Chapter LXXXI, or 81). The final page of this Act is dated February 1856, which occurred during the 6th Texas Legislature. This information may help you locate original documents.

Partial page from Gammel’s Laws of Texas, volume 4, page 396 

TSLAC holds original (signed) laws, and certified copies of city charters and amendments, that were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. These records are described in the online finding aids:

• Legislative bills and resolutions filed (General and special laws), 1836-2017
• City charters and amendments, 1913-2006

Many of these records have been digitized and are available on the Texas Digital Archive (TDA). Information found in the city charter index or Gammel’s Laws may be helpful for navigating the records:

• Legislative bills and resolutions  are organized by legislative session and then by session law chapter number.
• City charters and amendments  are organized by book number and date.

If you are unable to locate a signed law on the TDA for a transcription that was published in Gammel’s Laws, email ref@tsl.texas.gov to request a search of our holdings.

For city charters and amendments filed after 2006, contact the office of the Texas Secretary of State  directly about copies.

To request a price quote for certified photocopies of original documents in the Texas State Archives, e-mail your request to ref@tsl.texas.gov and include the following information:

• Name of city
• Type of document (for example, charter or amendment)
• Date filed
• Book and page number from the city charter index

Depending on the date or population when the city was formed, city charters or incorporation documents may not have been filed with the state. If a city charter is not located in the resources above, suggested resources at the local level include:

• City secretary. This is the only source for any changes not yet filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Search for contact information and find the incorporation date, current population, and type of city on the Texas Municipal League City Officials Directory . 
• County clerk. Articles of incorporation typically are filed at the county courthouse. Search for contact information on the County and District Clerks' Association of Texas  website.

Other helpful resources include:

• Handbook of Texas . Entries for Texas cities in the may include dates and population figures or cite additional sources for further reading.
• Texas County Records Inventory Project. Inventories may help you determine whether city charter or incorporation documents were filed at the county level. Many Texas county inventories are available through our library and online through the Portal to Texas History .
• Newberry Library’s Atlas of Historical County Boundaries . For cities created during the Republic of Texas or the earliest years of statehood, the Atlas has detailed information about county creation and boundary changes which may be helpful in determining the county to contact.
• Newspapers. Reports from the area and time period of interest may include city formation petitions or voting prior to or after an election. Our newspaper research guide has information about print, microfilm, and online resources that may be helpful to you.  
• Find a Texas Library in the area of interest and inquire about additional local history and newspaper collections and research services.

More information about laws governing municipalities and requirements for articles of incorporation and charters are in the following resources:

• Texas Secretary of State Texas Home Rule Charters, 2nd edition  
• Texas Municipal League Alphabet Soup: Types of Texas Cities
• Texas Legislative Council Texas Constitution and Statutes  (see Local Government Code)

City charters and amendments to charters can sometimes include local codes and ordinances. The Texas State Law Library guide to “Municipal Ordinances”  includes additional resources to consider and links to third-party services that publish local codes and ordinances online.