City of Lawrence, 1857 - 1977

Lawrence City government departments include the City Attorney (including the City Prosecutor and Municipal Court), City Manager (including the City Clerk), Finance, Fire Medical, Information Technology, Municipal Services and Operations (formerly known as Public Works and Utilities), Parks and Recreation, Planning and Development Services, and Police. All of these departments are overseen by the City Commission, consisting of the mayor, vice mayor, and three city commissioners.

As the City of Lawrence, Kansas government itself consists of various departments and divisions, this record group has been arranged by department, mirroring the arrangement of the overall finding aid. Included are records produced by the City Clerk, such as license and claims registers; records from the City Commission, such as orders and ordinances; records from the finance department, such as warrant registers and treasurer's records; civil and criminal dockets from the Municipal Court; improvement orders from the Planning Office; and other assorted records produced by the city government.