Which Chicago alderpersons file the most legislation, and the least? A nearly 17-to-1 gap, and what's in it
Ald. Walter Burnett filed 267 non-routine items this term; Ald. Desmon Yancy filed 16. Much of the top filers' work is sign permits and alley access.
Chicago's 50 alderpersons have filed 3,958 pieces of non-routine legislation as lead sponsor since the current City Council term began on May 15, 2023, according to the City Clerk's records. The busiest filer, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward), filed 267. The least active, Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th Ward), filed 16: a gap of nearly 17 to 1. The median alderperson filed about 58.
The counts say how much paper a member puts in front of the Council, not how much it matters. A citywide ordinance and a permit for a sign over a storefront both count as one.
Who files the most?
The six members who filed the most non-routine items this term, with the categories the Clerk files them under:
- Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward), 267. Most are sign permits (157) and alley items (44). Of the 267, 221 have reached a final action.
- Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward), 193. Municipal Code changes (54), hearing requests (38) and alley items (37). 93 have reached a final action.
- Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), 190. Sign permits (99) and Municipal Code changes (58). 144 have reached a final action.
- Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward), 187. Municipal Code changes (53), parking (45), hearing requests (27) and restricted residential zones (20). 54 have reached a final action.
- Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th Ward), 177. Commendations and declarations (58) and items with no category (57).
- Ald. Jason Ervin (28th Ward), 176. Sign permits (60), alley items (31) and Municipal Code changes (31).
Sign permits and alley-access exemptions are tied to a single address in the member's ward. Some members file many of them as non-routine items; for others, similar ward items are flagged routine and counted separately, below.
Who files the least?
- Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th Ward), 16. Recent items include the City's acceptance of Black Panther Heritage Trail historical markers, a call for a special Council meeting on Sept. 17, 2026, and a resolution calling for a Small Business Bill of Rights.
- Ald. Jeylú Gutiérrez (14th Ward), 19. Recent items include a new bid-incentive section of the City's purchasing code and a sign permit.
- Ald. Monique Scott (24th Ward), 21. Mostly alley items (11) and street items (7), including honorary street names.
- Ald. Peter Chico (10th Ward), 23. Street items (8), budget transfers (5) and Municipal Code changes (5).
- Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th Ward), 25. Municipal Code changes (7) and street items (6).
- Ald. Matthew O'Shea (19th Ward), 28. Alley (7), street (6) and Municipal Code (6) items.
Non-routine legislation filed this term, by the sponsor's ward
Source: City Clerk · as of Oct 21, 2026
Matters each alderperson filed as lead sponsor since May 15, 2023, excluding items the City Clerk flags as routine, as of the page view. Source: City Clerk.
What about routine items?
The Clerk flags many ward-level items as routine and files them separately: disabled-parking permits, residential parking zones, birthday congratulations and tributes. They aren't in the counts above, and they change the picture. Lopez filed 1,757 routine items this term, for 1,944 in all, the most of any member; his recent ones are disabled-parking permits and birthday congratulations. Ald. Michelle Harris (8th Ward) filed 1,216 routine items, Ald. James Gardiner (45th Ward) 978 and Coleman 930. Counting everything, the members who filed the least are Yancy (77), Ald. Timothy Knudsen (43rd Ward, 118), Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward, 129), Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward, 139) and Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward, 143).
Does filing more mean getting more done?
Not by this record. Among members who filed at least 20 non-routine items, the share that has reached a final action ranges from 92.2% for Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th Ward, 47 of 51) and 91.3% for Chico (21 of 23) to 28.9% for Lopez (54 of 187) and 33.9% for Ald. David Moore (17th Ward, 19 of 56). Burnett, whose filings are mostly sign permits and alley items, has 221 of 267 at a final action (82.8%). Lopez's filings lean toward Municipal Code changes and hearing requests, which go to committees; at least 63 of his are waiting in committee now.
How we counted
Each count is the number of matters introduced since May 15, 2023 whose filing sponsor, the first name on the item, is the member. Co-sponsorships aren't counted. Reached a final action means the Clerk's status for the item is final, which is usually passage but can also be a failed vote. The figures come from `site/data/alderpersons.json` as of Oct. 17, 2026; the script is `tools/on-my-block/stories/s5_filings.py`. Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th Ward) joined the Council in 2025, so his counts cover less time; he is not among the highest or lowest.
What it means on your block
If you need a sign permit, an alley exemption, a disabled-parking sign or a residential parking zone, your alderperson files it, and those make up much of what the busiest filers file. If you want a citywide change, ask your alderperson to file it, and then ask which committee it went to. Every member's filings, routine and not, are listed on their ward page: start from the wards list.