To run for mayor you generally have to be at least 18 years old, but the exact minimum age depends on the city and state where you’re running. Some jurisdictions set the floor at 21 or 25, and a few tie eligibility to when you file, when the election is held, or when you’d be sworn in. There is no single national number, so the only reliable answer for your race is the one written into your city’s charter or your state’s election code.
Why the Minimum Age Varies by City
The U.S. Constitution sets age minimums for federal offices but says nothing about mayors or any other local position. Under the Tenth Amendment, powers not granted to the federal government belong to the states, and states have historically treated municipal governance as their own domain.1Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Qualifications of Members of the House of Representatives Every state or city picks its own threshold, and those choices reflect local views about what kind of experience or maturity a mayor should have.
A 19-year-old who qualifies to run in one city might be too young in the next county over. Eligibility rules are self-contained. Meeting one city’s requirements tells you nothing about another’s.
How States Handle the Age Floor
State legislatures take two broad approaches. Some states write a statewide minimum age for all local elected officials into their election codes or municipal governance statutes. A state using this approach might require every city councilmember, mayor, and town board member to be at least 21. That minimum applies as a floor across every municipality in the state, regardless of the city’s size.
Other states delegate the decision to local governments, sometimes within broad guardrails. Under this model the state says, in effect, cities may set their own qualifications, and each municipality picks an age that suits its community. This is especially common in states with strong home rule traditions. The practical difference is significant: in a state with a statewide floor, every city plays by the same rules; in a delegation state, minimums can vary from city to city.
City Charters and Local Ordinances
Whichever approach your state takes, the document that controls your eligibility in a specific city is almost always the city charter or a local ordinance. A city charter functions like a local constitution. It typically spells out the offices that exist, how they are filled, and what qualifications candidates need, including age. Some charters set the minimum at 18 to match the general voting age. Others push it to 25, or require a candidate to have reached a specific age by inauguration day rather than by Election Day.
City councils can also pass ordinances that adjust qualification rules, provided those ordinances stay within the boundaries the charter and state law allow. If a state statute caps the mayoral age requirement at 21 but the city charter says 25, the state law wins. The hierarchy runs from state constitution to state statute to city charter to city ordinance, and a lower-level rule cannot contradict a higher one.
When Your Age Is Measured
The cutoff date matters as much as the number if you’re close to it. Some jurisdictions measure age on Election Day. Others measure it on the date you file your candidacy paperwork. Still others require you to be old enough by inauguration day. A candidate who turns 21 two weeks after the election could be eligible under one rule and disqualified under another.
Verify this before investing time and money in a campaign. The clerk’s office can tell you exactly which date governs.
Other Qualifications You Need to Meet
Age is rarely the only hurdle. Most cities require mayoral candidates to meet several additional criteria, and these matter as much as the age floor when determining eligibility.
- U.S. citizenship. Nearly all municipalities require candidates for mayor to be citizens of the United States.
- Voter registration in the city where you are running, not just residency.
- Residency duration. Many cities require you to have lived within the city limits for a set period before the election. One to three years is common, though some cities impose shorter or longer windows.
- No disqualifying criminal convictions. A felony conviction disqualifies mayoral candidates in many jurisdictions, though the specifics vary. Some cities bar anyone with any felony conviction, others focus on crimes involving corruption, fraud, or abuse of office, and some allow candidacy after rights have been restored.
These requirements are typically found in the same city charter or state statute that sets the age minimum, so checking one document usually answers all your eligibility questions at once.
Voting at 18 Doesn’t Mean Running at 18
A common misconception is that the 26th Amendment, which prevents states from denying the right to vote to anyone 18 or older, also guarantees the right to run for office at 18.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Constitution of the United States of America – Amendment XXVI It does not. The amendment protects the right to cast a ballot, not the right to appear on one. Courts have consistently held that states and cities can set candidacy ages above 18 without violating the 26th Amendment, because voting and holding office are legally distinct rights.
That is why a 20-year-old can vote in a city where the mayoral minimum age is 25. Cities that set a higher age floor are exercising a power the 26th Amendment does not reach.
What Happens if an Underage Candidate Files or Wins
Eligibility challenges are typically handled before Election Day, not after. Most jurisdictions allow any registered voter to challenge a candidate’s qualifications during the filing period, and election officials or courts will rule on the challenge before ballots are printed.
If a candidate who does not meet the age requirement slips through the filing process and wins, the result is generally treated as void. The candidate cannot take office, and the seat is filled through whatever vacancy procedure the city charter prescribes. That might mean the runner-up is seated, a special election is called, or an interim appointment is made.
How to Confirm Your City’s Number
Contact your city clerk’s office first. The clerk handles candidate filings and can tell you the minimum age, residency period, and any other qualifications your city requires. Most of this information is also published in the city charter, which is usually available on the city’s official website or as a public record at city hall.
Your state’s secretary of state office is another reliable starting point, especially if your state sets a statewide age minimum for municipal offices. Many secretaries of state publish candidate guides that lay out filing deadlines, signature requirements, and eligibility rules in a single document. If you want to see the legal authority behind any requirement, ask the clerk or the secretary of state’s office to point you to the specific statute or charter section. Don’t guess based on another city’s rules.