in the Roman civil law, an epithet which signifies invested with the rights and privileges of Roman citizens. Thus the municipal cities were those whose inhabitants were capable of enjoying civil offices in the city of Rome: These cities, however, according to Mariana, had fewer privileges than the colonies: They had no suffrages or votes at Rome; but were left to be governed by their own laws and magistrates. Some few municipal cities, however, obtained the liberty of votes:

Municipal, among us, is applied to the laws that obtain in any particular city or province. And those are called municipal officers who are elected to defend the interest of cities, to maintain their rights and privileges, and to preserve order and harmony among the citizens; such as mayors, sheriffs, consuls, &c.