American Legal Publishing

What American Legal Publishing does

American Legal Publishing is a Cincinnati-based, employee-owned legal codification company founded in 1934 that organizes, publishes, and continuously updates the municipal and county codes that govern US cities, towns, villages, and counties. Its core offering bundles ordinance codification (a 9-14 month legal-review and structuring process), ongoing supplementation as new legislation passes (most updates completed within 45-60 days), online publishing through the eCodeALP Code Library hosting more than 2,500 municipal and county codes, in-house 3-ring binder printing with replaceable pages, zoning and unified-development code services, online meeting-minutes hosting, and a Legal Review add-on. A separate product line is the exclusive electronic edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised 12th Edition, published under license from the Robert's Rules Association since 2004.

The company's technology stack centers on the cloud-hosted eCodeALP platform, which delivers full-text and Boolean search, stem and synonym matching, hyperlinked cross-references, archive-version comparison, and a My Account layer for saved searches, bookmarks, annotations, and update notifications. Through its 2023 membership in the International Code Council (ICC) Family of Solutions, American Legal exposes clients to an adjacent technology stack — ICC Digital Codes Premium, MapLink (ZoningHub), Laserfiche, MUNICITY, DigEplan, and S.K. Ghosh Associates — that extends the platform into permitting, zoning visualization, and content management without requiring in-house development of those capabilities. Acquisitions of Walter H. Drane (2017) and Sterling Codifiers (2019) brought additional editorial capacity and client rosters into the group.

Revenue is generated through a sales-led motion (codification consultants in Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, and California covering every US state via named territory assignments), channel partnerships with eight state municipal leagues (Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, plus a North Carolina relationship since 1980 and a 2024 Simmering-Cory/Iowa partnership), and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at shop.amlegal.com. The revenue mix combines one-time professional-services fees for codification projects, recurring supplementation subscriptions (typically quarterly), annual code-library access subscriptions, and licensing/royalty income from the Robert's Rules of Order electronic edition. Pricing for retail print and USB code products ranges from $18 (a single Toledo health-code volume) to $410 (a complete San Francisco Municipal Code print set), while codification services are quote-based.

Name

American Legal Publishing

Legal name

American Legal Publishing

Website

https://amlegal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

American Legal Publishing provides ordinance codification, supplementation, and online code hosting for U.S. municipal and county governments through its eCodeALP Code Library platform, supported by state municipal league partnerships and an exclusive Robert's Rules of Order electronic edition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Codification Services

NAICS

Other Publishers (51319), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal & Regulatory Publishing (Case Law, Statutes, Treatises) (MPAJACAA), Construction Codes & Building Standards Publishing (MPAJACAH), Legal Reference (Statutes, Case Law, Practice Guides) (EDAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Municipal codification
• Ordinance publishing
• Code supplementation
• Legal review services
• Online code library

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Codification Services: Full-service codification of municipal codes including creation, legal review, and publishing. Process takes 9-14 months from initial materials to first edition. Re-codification services for outdated codes.
2. Code Supplementation: Ongoing updates to existing codes as new legislation passes. Most supplements completed within 45-60 days. Includes draft review process for clients.
3. Online Publishing / Code Library Access: Subscription-based access to online code library hosting over 2,500 municipal and county codes. Search, view, print, annotate, and bookmark codes. Annual subscriptions provide access to supplemental updates.
4. Print Code Sales: Codes sold in 3-ring loose-leaf binder format with custom tabs. Municipalities and general public can purchase complete codes or individual volumes. USB digital versions available with Folio Views software.
5. Legal Review Services: Legal analysis providing research support for municipal attorneys, including review, guidance, and samples of similar codes. Identifies conflicts between code and state statutes and obsolete citations.
6. Robert's Rules of Order: Exclusive publisher of searchable electronic edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised 12th Edition. Digital versions available in download, USB flashdrive, or CD Rom.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

American Legal Publishing provides full-service municipal codification for U.S. cities, towns, villages, and counties. The company organizes local ordinances into structured Codes of Ordinances, performs legal review, delivers ongoing supplementation as new legislation passes, and hosts over 2,500 municipal and county codes on its proprietary eCodeALP online platform with print, USB, and digital access options.

Product overview

American Legal Publishing provides full-service municipal codification as a single integrated offering, combining ordinance codification, online publishing, code supplementation, and legal review into a comprehensive municipal code management service. The core product is the Code Library (eCodeALP) platform hosting over 2,500 municipal and county codes online, supplemented by in-house printing and distribution, online meeting minutes hosting, and zoning/unified development code services. The company also offers Robert's Rules of Order electronic editions (as exclusive publisher since 2004), Basic Codes through state municipal league partnerships, and—in its capacity as a member of the ICC Family of Solutions—access to ICC Digital Codes Premium, MapLink, and related community development tools (Laserfiche, MUNICITY, DigEplan). Products are available in both print (3-ring binder format) and digital (USB/Folio Views) formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ordinance Codification Full-service codification of municipal ordinances including creation, legal review, and publishing. Organizes local legislation by subject matter into titles, chapters, and sections, with removal of obsolete material and incorporation of new ordinances.
• Code Supplementation Incorporation of new legislation into existing Codes of Ordinances on an ongoing basis, typically completed within 45-60 days after authorization, with a draft review process for clients.
• Online Publishing (Code Library / eCodeALP) Digital hosting and subscription-based access to municipal codes via the eCodeALP platform. Provides full-text search, Boolean and synonym search, annotations, bookmarks, saved searches, hyperlinked cross-references, and mobile-responsive access to over 2,500 municipal and county codes.
• Legal Review Legal analysis providing research support for municipal attorneys, including review, guidance, and samples of similar codes. Identifies conflicts between code and state statutes, inconsistencies within the code, and obsolete citations.
• Online Meeting Minutes Hosting Full-text storage and hosting of municipal meeting minutes with instant access and quick search functionality. Supports PDF, Word documents converted to PDF, or text converted to HTML formats.
• Zoning and Unified Development Codes Codification of zoning ordinances as separate volumes or as part of the Code of Ordinances. Supports both form-based codes and traditional zoning codes, including color graphics, tables, charts, maps, and photographs.
• In-House Printing and Distribution Printing services for codes and supplement pages using 3-ring binders and loose-leaf pages. Enables cost-efficient updates by inserting or removing only changed pages without reprinting entire documents.
• Robert's Rules of Order (Electronic Edition) Exclusive electronic edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised 12th Edition, licensed from the Robert's Rules Association. Available in download, USB flashdrive, or CD ROM formats with fully searchable text, bookmarks, and hyperlinks to section references.
• Municipal League Basic Codes State-specific model codes created in partnership with state municipal leagues (Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Kansas, Wisconsin). Provides cost-effective codification for smaller governments without the expense of fully customized codes.
• Code Store (shop.amlegal.com) Online retail storefront for purchasing codes in print (3-ring loose-leaf binder) or digital (USB with Folio Views software) formats. Complete codes or individual volumes available; binders and custom tabs sold as add-ons.

Quantifiable outcome

• Codification process takes 9-14 months total from materials receipt to first edition publication
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024American Legal is a strong supporter of IIMC. American Legal has endowed IIMC scholarships and served as an Emerald Sponsor of the IIMC annual conference.
• World Jurist AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024American Legal assists the World Jurist Association and their members with publishing to help spread important legal concepts such as separation of powers and rule of law throughout the globe.
• ICC Online LearningminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024ICC Online Learning is a robust library of online courses ranging from beginner to advanced topics in all ICC codes. Earn CEUs, LUs and/or PDHs for Code Council certification renewal.
• Pronto ICC Online ExamsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024PRONTO is a technology-based testing method established by ICC. ICC partners with ProctorU Platform, making it possible to take exams at 500+ Test Centers or from remote locations.
• Simmering-Cory and Iowa CodificationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Simmering-Cory has been providing codification services to Iowa cities for more than 40 years. American Legal, in partnership, provides digital code services for local Iowa governments.
• International Code Council (ICC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, American Legal became a proud member of the ICC Family of Solutions. ICC develops and implements building safety and fire prevention codes worldwide. American Legal's codes are integrated with ICC's digital solutions including ICC Digital Codes Premium and other innovation tools.
• Sterling CodifierscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2019Sterling Codifiers was acquired by American Legal in 2019. All clients were transferred to American Legal.
• Walter H. Drane CompanycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2017Walter H. Drane was acquired by American Legal in 2017. The editorial staff still maintain an office in Cleveland and provide the same level of superior service.
• League of Kansas MunicipalitiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015Since 2015, more than 160 Kansas cities have used our partnership for codification service to efficiently and economically organize and update municipal ordinances and codes.
• Robert's Rules AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004American Legal has been the exclusive publisher of the searchable electronic edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised 12th Edition, chosen by Robert's Rules Association since 2004. We support them with sales of the electronic version of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
• South Dakota Municipal LeaguemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2004Partners since 2004, we publish the South Dakota Basic Code, a complete model code of ordinances, to offer cost-effective codification to league members. Additional custom code options also available.
• League of Minnesota CitiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2000Previously the League ran an in-house codification program. Due to expertise and reputation, American Legal was chosen as a partner in 2000 to provide codification and information management for more than 300 Minnesota cities.
• Ohio Municipal LeaguecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1997American Legal has partnered with the Ohio Municipal League for more than 20 years. Acting as official consultant, we provide OML members electronic versions of meeting minutes and other documents.
• League of Nebraska MunicipalitiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1997The League of Nebraska Municipalities began a partnership with American Legal in 1997 to provide codification services for nearly 200 Nebraska municipalities. Nebraska Basic Code provides villages and second-class cities with a code template specific to Nebraska municipalities.
• League of Wisconsin MunicipalitiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1997Since 1997, American Legal has produced an electronic version of the League of Wisconsin Legal Opinions, Attorney Institute Papers and other League manuals. Also available for purchase: League of Wisconsin Municipalities' Legal Resources 30th Edition on USB.
• League of Oregon CitiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1997In 1997, the League of Oregon Cities chose American Legal as a Program Partner. We provide an Oregon Basic Code for small cities and a range of codification and information management services to Oregon municipalities and counties.
• International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994American Legal has been a codification consultant to IMLA since 1994. American Legal is also a sponsor at the International Committee of IMLA.
• North Carolina League of MunicipalitiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1980Since 1980, more than 200 North Carolina municipalities have taken advantage of this cost-effective codification partnership. The North Carolina League of Municipalities also publishes municipal codes and meeting minutes online.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Municode (a CivicPlus company): Municode is the largest direct competitor to American Legal Publishing in municipal codification. Both offer ordinance codification, online code hosting, supplementation, and legal review services to U.S. cities, towns, and counties. Municode merged with CivicPlus in 2019, making it a particularly strong comparable as the most-recognized brand in municipal code publishing.
• General Code: General Code is another of the three legacy U.S. municipal codification publishers, offering code compilation, recodification, supplementation, and eCode360 online hosting to counties, cities, and towns. Directly comparable to American Legal on service mix, target customer (municipal governments), and business model.
• Code Publishing Company: Code Publishing Company provides municipal and county code codification, online hosting, and supplementation services, primarily serving smaller municipalities in the Pacific Northwest. Closely comparable to American Legal on the small-city / municipal-league partnership model.
• Sterling Codifiers (now part of American Legal): Sterling Codifiers was a direct municipal codification competitor acquired by American Legal in 2019; all Sterling clients were transferred to American Legal. Included for completeness as a historical direct peer and integration comparable.

Broad incumbents

• International Code Council (ICC): ICC is the dominant U.S. developer of model building, fire, and energy codes and operates the ICC Digital Codes Premium platform. As American Legal's parent-affiliate (member of ICC Family of Solutions since 2023) and provider of complementary building-safety codes, ICC is a partial peer and partner rather than direct competitor.
• West (Thomson Reuters) - Westlaw and KeyCite: Thomson Reuters' West platform is the dominant U.S. legal research and legal publishing incumbent. While not focused on municipal codification, West's coverage of statutes, regulations, and ordinances overlaps with the legal-content publishing category in which American Legal operates.
• LexisNexis (RELX): LexisNexis is a broad legal and regulatory information incumbent offering statutes, codes, case law, and public-records content. Comparable to American Legal as a legal/regulatory information provider, though it serves a wider legal professional market rather than municipal governments specifically.
• Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. Wolters Kluwer is a large global legal and regulatory publisher serving law firms, corporations, and government agencies. Comparable as a regulatory and legal content incumbent whose products (CCH, Cheetah) address overlapping compliance and legal-research use cases.

Others

• American City & County / Endeavor Business Media (municipal media): While not a codifier, American City & County serves the same U.S. municipal government buyer audience with content, news, and information products. Comparable as a vertically-focused B2B publisher addressing the same municipal decision-makers American Legal sells to.

Emerging players

• CivicPlus: CivicPlus is a GovTech platform serving local governments with content management, agenda/minute management, code enforcement, and permitting modules. Comparable as an emerging player now bundling Municode codification within a broader municipal software suite — a key competitive threat and a model for where American Legal could evolve via its ICC relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCU4e4WIElpe1PXl6SwFDuUA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/amlegalcodes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-legal-publishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Legal Publishing