DESCRIPTION: As the governing body of Beaver City, the Mayor and City Council enact their legislative power through the creation of ordinances. An ordinance may "regulate, require, prohibit, govern, control or supervise any activity, business, conduct or condition [as] authorized" by the Utah Code (UCA, 2003, 10-3-701-702).

According to its minutes, the City Council began discussing the codification of ordinances in March 1881. For an outside cost of $220.00 they would be revised, rewritten, arranged and proof-read before being published and distributed. Though the resulting edition did not survive, the rest of the minutes themselves frequently include drafts of new or revised ordinances over the ensuing years. They are usually singly numbered apparently pending codification. When codified, each ordinance under a chapter (1982) or title and chapter (2000) has a section number, a short title and the body which includes detailed instructions for the particular cause, action and possible result if broken. Over the years, ordinances have regulated the setup of municipal government, business licensing, public health, traffic, utilities and zoning.

In addition, the 1982 ordinances have "chapters" added beyond the end of the volume, including a Master Plan dated the same year. Each addition was assigned a chapter number as ordered and is therefore included in this series.