Overview
OpenCongress is a free, nonpartisan platform designed to make legislative information accessible to everyone. We believe that understanding what your local government does shouldn't require specialized knowledge or expensive subscriptions.
This section covers the New York City Council, the city's legislative body of 51 members representing 51 districts across the five boroughs. The Council passes local laws (Introductions), adopts resolutions, and shapes the city budget and land-use decisions.
Our mission is simple: provide clear, accurate, and timely information about the Council's activity, from committee votes to local legislation, without editorial bias or political spin.
- Free: core access at no cost
- Nonpartisan: fact-based information
- Sourced: every page links to the official record
What we track
OpenCongress brings the full picture of City Council activity into one place:
- Legislation: Introductions (Int.) and resolutions, with their text and status
- Votes: committee and full-Council roll-call votes
- Council members: profiles, party, district, and leadership roles
- Committees: committee assignments and hearings
- Land use: ULURP applications and related actions, where available
Data sources
All Council data on OpenCongress comes directly from official New York City sources. We don't filter, editorialize, or modify the data in any way.
The City Council's official legislative system. It is the authoritative source for matters (Introductions and resolutions), actions, votes, committees, and the Council's own official summaries.
The city's open-data portal provides an independent copy of Council legislation that joins back to Legistar: a second source we use to cross-check completeness and accuracy.
How data is collected & updated
We sync data from the NYC Legistar API on a regular schedule so you always have the latest information. Different types of data are updated at different frequencies based on how often they change.
| Data type | Update frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Legislation | Daily | Introductions and resolutions |
| Votes & actions | Daily | Committee and full-Council votes |
| Council members | Per term | Profiles, party, district, leadership |
| Committees | Weekly | Assignments and hearings |
AI & summaries
Unlike our other jurisdictions, NYC legislation summaries are NOT AI-generated. Each Introduction and resolution carries the Council's own official summary, published in Legistar, which we display as-is.
AI is used only for the optional conversational assistant, which helps you explore Council data in plain language. Any AI-generated response is clearly labeled, written to be factual rather than persuasive, and always links back to the official source.
Privacy & data handling
OpenCongress is built to respect your privacy. We don't sell your data, run ads, or take funding from political organizations.
- Encrypted: all connections are secured, and conversations with the AI assistant are encrypted
- Anonymous mode: browse and ask questions without an account
- Yours to delete: you can delete your account and your data at any time
- Privacy-respecting analytics: no invasive third-party tracking
For the full details, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Technology
OpenCongress is built with modern, reliable technology for a fast, accessible experience on any device: server-side rendering, optimized data loading, and screen-reader support.
Every page links the official record it was built from, so any figure or claim here can be checked against the primary source in one click. That is what makes the data verifiable, and it requires no special access.
Found a problem?
- Report an error: if a page disagrees with its official source, tell us and we will fix it
- Suggest a feature: if something is missing, we want to hear it
- Get in touch: contact@opencongress.app