Do mayors have term limits? Sometimes, but not usually. There is no federal rule on the question, and only about 9 to 15 percent of U.S. cities cap how long a mayor can serve.1National League of Cities. Cities 101 — Mayor’s Term The rest let voters decide as often as they like. Whether your mayor faces a limit depends on your city’s charter, a local ordinance, or in some states a statute, so the answer changes from one city to the next.
How Common Term Limits Actually Are
The default across American municipalities is no limit at all. Roughly 85 to 91 percent of cities allow a mayor to run for re-election indefinitely.2National League of Cities. Cities 101 — Term Lengths and Limits In those places, the ballot box is the only check on how long a mayor stays.
City size changes the picture sharply. Larger cities are far more likely to cap mayoral tenure, and among the ten biggest U.S. cities, nine impose term limits on the mayor.1National League of Cities. Cities 101 — Mayor’s Term So if you live in a major metro area, the odds are good that your mayor is term-limited. If you live in a small or mid-sized city, the odds are the opposite.
Where the Rule Comes From
When a limit does exist, it was created in one of four ways, and knowing which one applies tells you how firm the rule is and where to read it.
- City charter. About two-thirds of cities with term limits put them in the charter, which functions as the city’s constitution and is harder to change than ordinary legislation.1National League of Cities. Cities 101 — Mayor’s Term
- State law. Some states impose limits through general statutes or laws aimed at particular classes of cities. Where state law sets the rule, individual cities usually cannot override it.
- Local ordinance. A city council can pass a term-limit ordinance, though the council can usually amend or repeal it the same way.
- Ballot initiative or referendum. Voters can enact limits directly, either as a charter amendment or as a measure the council places on the ballot.
Most term limits, then, are locally chosen rather than imposed from the state level.
What Term Limits Typically Look Like
Number of Terms
Among cities that limit their mayor, two terms is the most common cap. About 55 percent of term-limited cities draw the line there. Another 30 percent allow three terms, and about 9 percent allow four.1National League of Cities. Cities 101 — Mayor’s Term Two four-year terms, for a total of eight years, is the single most common configuration.
Consecutive Versus Lifetime
The other design choice matters as much as the number. A consecutive limit forces the mayor out after the maximum number of back-to-back terms but allows a return to office after a specified gap. A lifetime limit closes the door permanently once the cap is reached, regardless of any time out of office. Consecutive limits are the more common structure, though several cities that adopted new limits in 2020 and after chose lifetime caps specifically to prevent former mayors from cycling back in.
Term Length Changes the Math
A term limit only tells you half the story. About 45 percent of cities use four-year mayoral terms, and about 35 percent use two-year terms, with a smaller number using one-year or three-year terms.1National League of Cities. Cities 101 — Mayor’s Term A two-term cap means four years in one city and eight in another. To know the actual ceiling, you need both numbers.
What Happens with Partial Terms
If a mayor leaves office early and someone finishes the remaining time, does that partial term count against the successor’s limit? Cities answer this differently, and the answer can add or subtract years from a career.
Some cities count a partial term only if the person served more than half of it. Others exclude partial terms entirely, so someone appointed to fill a two-year vacancy and then elected to two full terms could serve considerably longer than the limit appears to allow. A few count every partial term regardless of length. Anyone stepping into a vacancy who plans to run later should read the charter language carefully.
Can Term Limits Be Changed or Struck Down?
Yes, and both have happened. How easily a limit can be modified depends on how it was created. Charter-based limits generally require a voter-approved amendment. Ordinance-based limits can sometimes be changed by a council vote.
New York City is the best-known example of the latter. Voters approved a two-term limit for the mayor and city council twice, in 1993 and 1996. In 2008, the city council voted to extend the limit to three terms, letting the sitting mayor and council members seek another term. Voters restored the two-term limit in 2010 and added a provision barring council members from changing rules that affect their own careers.
Term limits have also been challenged in court. The most successful challenges have been procedural rather than attacks on the concept itself. Courts in several states have struck down term limits adopted by initiative when the measures violated single-subject rules, or when the limits were placed in statutes rather than the state constitution. The reasoning is that restricting who can hold office alters the qualifications for office, which must be done by constitutional amendment.3National Conference of State Legislatures. Legislative Term Limits: An Overview Those cases involved state legislative limits, but the same principles reach local offices. Limits placed in a city charter through a proper voter referendum tend to stand on firmer ground than limits imposed by ordinary ordinance.
One more question comes up whenever a city adopts new limits: do terms already served count? Courts that have looked at it have generally allowed retroactive application, on the theory that officeholders have no vested right to remain in office. In practice, many new limits start the clock at the next election cycle instead.
How to Find Out What Applies to Your Mayor
Start with your city’s charter. Most cities publish it online through the city clerk’s office or the municipal code section of the city website. Look for the sections on the mayor’s qualifications, term of office, or eligibility for re-election. If the charter is silent, check your state’s municipal code for any statewide restriction that reaches your city. The city clerk’s office can also answer the question directly, and it is one of the more routine calls they get.
Read term length and term limit together. A city with four-year terms and no cap can keep the same mayor as long as voters want. A city with two-year terms and a strict two-term limit produces a very different result. The two rules combined tell you the real ceiling.