Help

Not every item is digitized. To find materials not available online, you may view our finding aids or visit the Municipal Archives & Records Center to view materials in person.

Visiting the Center is by appointment only; email your appointment request or call us at 210-207-7253, option 4.

Search Tips

Because of the large volume in our collection, the Simple Search used alone will usually not return results unless you know the exact ordinance number or your keyword is very unusual.

Narrow down the Search by including a Start Date and End Date.

Think of the search engine as a computer program. It doesn't think like a person. Instead, it tries to find content that has the words you type. So, use words you think will be in that content. Keep it short and use as few words as possible. Using too many words might limit your results, and using too few might give you too much information.

Tips for a better search:

• When you're searching for a name or word, keep it simple. Just type in the name or as much of it as you remember.
• Every word matters in your search, so every word you type will be used.
• The search doesn't care about capital letters. For example, [alamo] is the same as [Alamo].
• To find a specific phrase or word, use double quotes. For instance, ["Alamo Contract"] tells the search to look for those exact words in that exact order.
• Use "and" between search words to find documents where both words are included. For example, [Alamo and Contract] will find documents with both words, though not necessarily together.
• If you put double quotes around your search terms like ["Alamo" or "Contract"], you'll get results where either word or both may be present in a document.

Get Help

If you need help, contact Municipal Archives and Records.

You can submit a Public Information Request through the Open Government Portal.