Seat of local government

![New York City Hall, the oldest continuous seat of local government in the United States, completed in 1812[1]](/uploads/202502/06/New_York_City_Hall2727.jpg)


In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre, (in the UK or Australia) a guildhall, a Rathaus (German), or (more rarely) a municipal building, is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city or town council, its associated departments, and their employees. It also usually functions as the base of the mayor of a city, town, borough, or county / shire.