Palestinian Local Authorities Law No.1 of 1997.

This Law consisting of 40 articles aims at organizing the system of local Government and unifying its legal framework. The Law lists twenty-seven fields of activity under municipal responsibility, and local Councils have the possibility of issuing rulings in these fields. Tasks of the Ministry of Local Government are: establishing the general policy of the local Councils; supervising operate of these Councils and the organization of public works projects; monitoring administrative, financial and legal procedures for the formation of these Councils. The Law provides detailed procedure for the election of Council leader and members and for Council’s meetings.
The core of the Law is art.15 that establishes “The Council may issue ordinances and regulations necessary for organizing the work of the local authority and securing its interests and needs. The Municipalities’ 27 Areas of Responsibility are: town and street planning; building licensing and construction control; water supply (supply water to residents, specify distribution standards, set prices for water, protect water sources); electricity supply (supply electricity to residents, set prices within Ministry limits); sewage management (provide sewerage systems, manage public lavatories); public markets management (establish public markets, regulate activities and produce, regulate merchandise outside markets); licensing of trades and businesses (regulate, control, monitor crafts and industries, specify locations, control hazardous industries); waste (cleaning and waste collection from the streets, houses, shops and public transport); public health monitoring (ensure public health and prevent epidemics, implement sanitary systems, regulate slaughter houses, public health inspectors for food, set up hospitals and health clinics); public storage control (monitor and oversee behaviour of public storage facilities, specify fees); public parks (establishment and management); fires and natural disasters (implement precautions against floods, implement precautions against fires, monitor hazardous materials); public transport (land and sea); control of peddlers and open markets; weights and measures control; advertisement control; building demolition (manage public safety aspects of buildings); disposal of remnants of roads; social services for the poor; cemeteries (plan, establish and manage cemeteries); hotel operation control; regulation of pack animal use and markets; canine control; budget approval and management; management of the local government's assets and funds.