Also included is the decision rendered by the Board, along with occasional comments on the matter at hand. A good deal of this legislation relates in some way to building in general or to specific properties. The Cabildo promulgated Spanish construction rules in 1975 and such laws were added to and elaborated on until the passage of the first New Orleans building code in 1910. These ordinances help to provide an understanding of individual structures by demonstrating just what the legal requirements were at a given time. The Council also approved specifications and contracts for work on municipal properties.
Indexes are available for most of the ordinance series.
The Council collected a variety of supporting evidence for and against the projects that it had to make decisions on over the years. These took the form of petitions, bids, proposals, and letters, some of which offer detailed descriptions of the projects under considerations. The available indexing is generally not very specific, but, given the date of passage of an ordinance, a search can be made of the Council meeting of that and preceding dates. He drafted many maps and surveys for both public and private properties, he either drew up or approved plans for public edifices, and he oversaw compliance with local construction rules and regulations. A good many of his record books, plans, and maps have survived in the Archives.