The petitions were removed some time ago from the Official Proceedings of the New Orleans City Council and filed in the vertical file collection. Rather than refile each of them in their original location, we have artificially created a separate series for these records. The table below lists the petitioner, the purpose of the petition, the location (for requests for business licenses, street repairs, street lights, other public works improvements or changes, etc.), and the dates of earliest and latest council action. (In some cases, the only date represented is the date when the Council received and filed the petition.) 

Most petitions are applications for business licenses, most usually for licenses to operate a bar room (or a combination bar-restaurant, bar-grocery store, bar-oyster saloon). Such petitions take the form of a request by the owner or proprietor of the business to be granted a license to operate and the signatures of residents in the vicinity of the establishment stating that they either approve of or protest against its opening.

Many of the other petitions are applications by property holders, residents, or business owners in a certain vicinity requesting public works improvements, such as the installation of street lights, repair of streets or sidewalks, opening of streets, improvements to public markets, schools, etc. Occasionally, petitions will take the form of protests by citizens to the location or relocation of schools, ballparks, streetcar tracks, etc. A few are requests by citizens for repayment of taxes or license fees or for compensation for damage done to their property as a result of municipal negligence or applications by city employees for increased salaries. Remaining petitions cover a wide variety of other citizen requests for assistance, relief or permission.