Local government in Ireland is organised into 31 local authorities, each with a council made up of elected councillors and an executive structure led by a Chief Executive to manage the day-to-day activity of the local authority.

The 31 local authorities in Ireland are made up of:

26 county councils
Three city councils (Dublin, Galway and Cork)
Two councils that oversee a city and a county (Limerick and Waterford)

Each local authority is responsible for a specific geographic area.

The 31 local authorities provide thousands of services to their local area, support local communities and businesses through funding initiatives and amenities, and develop economic and social development plans for the area to plan for sustainable development now and into the future.

Local authorities also set byelaws for their areas. Byelaws are laws set by the local authority that apply to the local authority area. Local authority byelaws regulate areas such as:

Casual trading
Parking
Local speed limits
Control of animals
Litter and waste

Two months before passing a bye-law, the local authority must publish a notice in the local paper with details of the proposed bye-law.

The public will then have the opportunity to make submissions on the proposed bye-law before it comes into effect.

Source: Local Government Ireland (2026) Your Local Authority [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.localgov.ie/about-local-government/your-local-authority/ (Accessed: 20 August 2026).