Sources & Methodology

LocalGovGuide separates geographic coverage from topic verification. City and place geography can be imported from U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer data. Topic facts are stored separately with their source authority, URL and last-checked date.

Verification model

A local topic should identify the authority responsible for the rule or service, the relevant fee or eligibility rule when available, exceptions that materially affect users, application or contact steps, and at least one authoritative source.

Indexing threshold

Topic pages are designed to remain out of search indexes until enough verified local content exists. This helps avoid empty, duplicated or speculative pages.

Geographic layers

Some requirements are federal or state-level rather than city-level. Others may be controlled by a county, utility, special district, licensing board or other authority. Pages should label the controlling layer instead of incorrectly attributing every requirement to the city.