Therefore the municipalities have taken precedence among other local administration units. However, the gradual increase of daily needs in the cities created the need to set up a more orderly organisation. The first municipal organisation was established in Istanbul in 1854. Municipalities in other cities followed with the municipal laws of 1868 and 1876. During the Republican period, a special system was adopted for Ankara in 1924.
All municipalities are public corporate entities.
Municipal organisations must be set up in all provincial and district centers. Municipalities are required to meet the common regional and civic needs of the region and the regional populace. Municipalities and villages near big cities, the populations of which were over 300,000 during the last census, may be attached to the metropolitan municipality so that basic municipal services may be carried out in an adequate and efficient manner and under complementary plans. The distance between the metropolitan municipality and the municipality or village to be attached, as well as the practicability of combining the services, should be taken into consideration during the course of the attachment process. Besides carrying out duties related to health and social assistance, public works, education, agriculture, the economy and the well-being of the citizens, municipalities are required to take the necessary measures to meet all civic needs through municipal services.