LibGuides: U.S. Government Research: State & Local Government Web Sources

Finding State & Local Government Information and Resources

Researching state and local governments often starts by looking at official websites. The amount of information and data available online will vary. Think creatively in order to determine where to best find pieces of information. For example, you may look for information from:

Governors
State Legislatures
State Court Systems
Counties
Town Councils, Mayors, or City Managers
State and Local Departments (i.e. Department of Education, Department of Environmental Management, Department of Transportation, etc.)

You may also want to check non-governmental sources that can provide information or references to sources of information including:

Local news sources
Local colleges & universities
Historical societies and archives

State & Local Government Web Sources

State Government (USA.gov)
Directory to look up official state government contact information (websites, etc.) of U.S. states and territories.
Local Governments (USA.gov)
Portal to track down local governments across the United States by state provided by USA.gov.
Book of the States from The Council of State Governments (CSG)
The Book of States from the Council of State Governments provides information on state constitutions, state government branches, elections, and more. Tables from The Book of States can be downloaded.
Open States
Originally a project of the Sunlight Foundation, Open States provides data on state politics that offers users tools to track events and more. Data is sourced from official state sources. Bulk downloads of data are possible.

Massachusetts Resources

Mass.gov
Mass.gov is the official website of the government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Find information on a wealth of topics including a portal to find information on local governments within Massachusetts.
Office of the Governor
Official website of the Office of the Massachusetts Governor. Contains information on the cabinet, staff, press releases, speeches, the governor's schedule, and legislative and executive orders.
Massachusetts Legislature
The website of the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts state legislature, comprised of the Senate and House of Representatives, makes available the text of the state constitution, laws, bills, Senate and House rules, and state budget. Also provides biographies of the legislators and detailed committee information.
Massachusetts Court System
Find information on the Massachusetts Court system such as forms, case and legal resources, and more!