Effective Implementation and Enforcement Clauses in Ordinances

ChangeLab Solutions provides a variety of tools to help communities combat childhood obesity, including model laws (“ordinances”) local decisionmakers and attorneys can adapt for their communities.

Ordinances must contain implementation and enforcement provisions to ensure that residents and businesses comply with the law. Without any enforcement provision, a community would have to rely on voluntary compliance. When a city council adopts an ordinance, it decides how to enforce the new law.

ChangeLab Solutions developed this fact sheet to explain the different ways local governments can enforce laws. We also offer sample implementation and enforcement clauses that can be adopted for use in model ordinances.