As a professional association, ICMA enforces its Code of Ethics through a formal review process administered by a peer review body, the ICMA Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC). The Rules of Procedure for Enforcement of the Code are designed to provide a reasonable process for reviewing and determining whether a member has violated the Code, and to afford each individual member who is the subject of an ethics review, a full and fair opportunity to be heard and understood throughout the process.
Applicability
As a condition for joining ICMA, an individual agrees to adhere to the Code. A member in service to a local government, or special district, municipal league, or council of governments, regardless of whether it is on a full-time, part-time, or interim basis, or as an intern, must comply with the entire Code. Members who are working in another field, students, or retirees must follow Tenets 1 (Democracy) and Tenet 3 (Integrity). Tenet 7 (political activity) does not apply to elected officials.
Ethics Review Framework
- The confidential, peer-review process begins when a written, valid complaint is submitted to ICMA accompanied by supporting documentation and the allegations are sufficiently clear.
- If the alleged conduct could be a potential violation of the Code, then ICMA initiates the review process by providing the member with an opportunity to address the allegation(s) in the complaint submitted to ICMA.
- The process provides for the appointment of a fact-finding committee when additional documentation is required.
- At the conclusion of the review process, the Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC) is authorized to close a case where no violation has occurred; issue a private censure for an ethics violation; or recommend that the ICMA Executive Board publicly censure, and/or suspend, expel, bar or revoke the Credential of a member who has violated the Code of Ethics.
The following individuals are eligible to submit a complaint:
- Current ICMA member(s);
- Current state/country association member(s); or
- An individual who is not a member and possesses first-hand knowledge of the alleged conduct, e.g. the member’s employee(s) or a representative(s) of the member’s governing body.
Eligible individuals wishing to file a complaint regarding the conduct of one of ICMA's members may do so here.
For detailed information on the process and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please review the ICMA Rules of Procedure for Enforcement of the Code of Ethics. ICMA encourages individuals who have questions about filing an ethics complaint or who would like additional information about the process to contact Jessica Cowles, ethics director, at jcowles@icma.org.
CPC Case Review Results
For the most recent fiscal year, the CPC completed 16 ethics case reviews based on complaints filed against ICMA members. The ethics case reviews resulted in:
- 1 public censure and permanent membership bar;
- 5 private censures; and
- 10 closed cases with or without advice (meaning the member’s conduct did not violate the Code).
ICMA worked with two state association fact-finding committees in Illinois and New York to gather the facts needed for the CPC to reach a conclusion on the member’s conduct in those matters.
ICMA Ethics Annual Reports
For more detailed information on ethics violations and efforts to promote ethics in local government, see the ICMA Ethics Annual Reports.
*In FY2026, the Ethics Annual Report was integrated into the ICMA Annual Report.
