Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the MuniNow platform ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you are using the Service on behalf of a municipality or organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

These Terms apply to all users of the Service, including municipal staff, platform administrators, and citizens accessing the self-service portal. Additional terms may apply to specific features as described in individual service agreements.

2. Description of Service

MuniNow is a cloud-based municipal ERP platform that provides integrated software for local government operations. The platform includes 37 modules spanning finance, permitting, utility billing, human resources, public safety, code enforcement, asset management, records management, and more. The Service includes the web application, citizen self-service portal, APIs, documentation, and related support.

3. Account Registration & Access

To use MuniNow, you must register an account with accurate and complete information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity under your account. You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use.

• Staff Accounts. Created by municipal administrators via invitation. Access is governed by role-based permissions configured by the municipality.
• Citizen Portal Accounts. Self-registered by residents. Citizens must verify their email address before accessing portal features. Multi-factor authentication is available and recommended.
• Account Linking. Citizens may link utility accounts, property parcels, and other records to their portal account. Linking requires verification of account ownership.

4. Subscription & Payment

MuniNow is offered on a per-municipality subscription basis with annual or monthly billing options. Pricing is determined by the scope of modules, population size, and support tier selected.

• All subscription fees are exclusive of applicable taxes, which will be added to invoices as required by law.
• Payment is due within 30 days of invoice unless otherwise specified in your service agreement.
• Late payments may result in suspension of access after reasonable notice (minimum 15 days).
• Fee changes will be communicated at least 60 days before the start of the next billing period.
• Subscription fees cover all staff accounts within the municipality — there are no per-seat charges.

5. Payment Processing for Municipal Fees

The MuniNow platform facilitates payment processing for municipal fees including but not limited to permit fees, license fees, utility bills, property tax payments, court fines, park reservation deposits, and other charges. These payments are processed through Stripe, a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor.

• MuniNow acts as a technology platform facilitating payments between citizens and municipalities. MuniNow is not a party to the financial transaction between the citizen and the municipality.
• Payment card data is transmitted directly to Stripe and is subject to Stripe's Terms of Service. MuniNow does not store full payment card numbers.
• Refund policies for municipal fees are determined by the respective municipality, not by MuniNow. Refund requests should be directed to the municipality that collected the fee.
• Payment disputes and chargebacks are handled between the citizen, their card issuer, and the municipality. MuniNow will assist municipalities in providing transaction documentation for dispute resolution.
• Convenience fees or processing surcharges, if applicable, are determined by the municipality and disclosed to the payer at the time of transaction.

6. Data Ownership

Your municipality retains full ownership of all data entered into or generated by the platform ("Customer Data"). MuniNow is granted a limited, non-exclusive license to process Customer Data solely for the purpose of providing and improving the Service.

You may export your data at any time through the platform's built-in export tools (CSV, JSON, PDF) or via the API. There are no export fees, data hostage provisions, or proprietary format restrictions. We will never use Customer Data for purposes unrelated to providing the Service without explicit written consent.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including:

• Encryption at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.2+).
• Row-level security enforcing multi-tenant data isolation at the database layer.
• Role-based access controls configurable by the municipality.
• Comprehensive audit trails for all data access and modifications.
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning.
• SOC 2-ready infrastructure with US-based data hosting.

While we use commercially reasonable efforts to protect your data, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a security breach, we will notify affected municipalities within 72 hours of confirmation as described in our Privacy Policy.

8. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation.
• Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of the platform.
• Intentionally overload, disrupt, or interfere with the Service's infrastructure or performance.
• Access, scrape, or mine data belonging to other tenants or municipalities.
• Share credentials or allow unauthorized individuals to access the platform through your account.
• Use the Service to store or transmit malicious code, viruses, or harmful content.
• Use the AI features (AI Review Hub, CityGPT) to process data from outside the platform or for purposes unrelated to municipal operations.
• Circumvent or attempt to circumvent rate limiting, access controls, or tenant isolation mechanisms.

9. API Usage

MuniNow provides 750+ API endpoints for integration with third-party systems. API usage is subject to a fair use policy. Rate limiting is applied to ensure platform stability and equitable access for all customers. Specific rate limits are documented in the API reference and may vary by subscription tier.

Excessive or abusive API usage that degrades the experience for other customers may result in temporary throttling or suspension of API access after notice. API credentials must be kept confidential and must not be embedded in client-side code or publicly accessible repositories.

10. AI Features Disclaimer

MuniNow includes AI-powered features such as the AI Review Hub (document analysis, PII detection, compliance checking), CityGPT (natural language reporting), and AI minutes transcription. These features are provided as decision-support tools and are subject to the following:

• AI outputs are suggestions and should be reviewed by qualified staff before action. AI features do not replace professional judgment, legal advice, or regulatory compliance decisions.
• PII detection is pattern-based and may not identify all sensitive information. Staff should review redaction results before releasing documents under FOIA or public records requests.
• AI-generated meeting minutes are transcriptions and may contain errors. The municipal clerk is responsible for reviewing and certifying minutes before publication.
• MuniNow does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or fitness of AI-generated outputs for any particular purpose.
• Data processed by AI features is sent to Google Gemini API solely for generating responses and is not used to train third-party models.

11. Intellectual Property

MuniNow and its licensors retain all rights, title, and interest in the platform, including all software, documentation, branding, trademarks, and proprietary technology. These Terms do not grant you any rights to MuniNow's intellectual property beyond the limited right to use the Service as described herein.

Feedback, suggestions, or feature requests you submit may be used by MuniNow to improve the platform without obligation or compensation.

12. Uptime & Support

MuniNow targets 99.9% platform availability, measured monthly, excluding scheduled maintenance windows. Scheduled maintenance will be communicated in advance and performed during off-peak hours when possible.

Technical support is available during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Central Time, excluding federal holidays). Emergency support for critical issues is available 24/7 for eligible subscription tiers. Response time targets are specified in individual service agreements.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MuniNow, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your violation of these Terms; (b) your use of the Service in a manner not authorized by these Terms; (c) data entered into the platform by your users; or (d) your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

MuniNow will indemnify the municipality against third-party claims that the Service infringes a valid US patent, copyright, or trade secret, provided the municipality gives prompt notice and reasonable cooperation in the defense.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, MuniNow shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of revenue, data, business opportunities, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of the Service, even if MuniNow has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

MuniNow's total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the total fees paid by you during the 12-month period immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." MuniNow disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and any warranties arising from course of dealing or usage of trade. MuniNow does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.

15. Force Majeure

Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under these Terms due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemic, government actions, power failures, internet or telecommunications outages, or third-party service provider failures. The affected party will give prompt notice and use commercially reasonable efforts to resume performance.

16. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with third-party services including Stripe (payments), Plaid (banking), Google Maps (geocoding), Google Gemini (AI), Resend (email), Firebase (notifications), and others. These integrations are subject to the respective third party's terms of service and privacy policies. MuniNow is not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or performance of third-party services. Disruptions to third-party services may affect the functionality of related MuniNow features.

17. Government-Specific Provisions

MuniNow acknowledges that municipalities are public entities subject to unique legal and regulatory requirements:

• Public Records. Municipal data stored in MuniNow may be subject to FOIA and state open records laws. MuniNow provides tools for document discovery, PII redaction, and records release. The municipality is responsible for responding to public records requests and determining applicable exemptions.
• Records Retention. The platform includes state-specific records retention schedules (Illinois, Minnesota). Municipalities are responsible for configuring retention policies appropriate to their jurisdiction. MuniNow will not destroy records subject to retention holds or pending litigation.
• Audit Cooperation. MuniNow will cooperate with state auditors and provide reasonable access to platform data and audit trails as requested by the municipality for compliance with GASB, GAAP, and state audit requirements.
• Sovereign Immunity. Nothing in these Terms is intended to waive any sovereign immunity or other governmental immunities available to the municipality under applicable law.

18. Termination

Either party may terminate the service agreement with 30 days' written notice. MuniNow may suspend or terminate access immediately for material breach of these Terms, including non-payment (after the cure period in Section 4) or violation of the acceptable use policy.

Upon termination:

• We will provide a complete export of Customer Data in standard machine-readable formats (CSV, JSON) at no additional charge.
• Data will be retained for up to 90 days following termination to facilitate export.
• After the 90-day period, all Customer Data will be permanently deleted from active systems. Encrypted backups may be retained for up to 180 days for disaster recovery, after which they are permanently destroyed.
• Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including data ownership, limitation of liability, indemnification, and governing law) will survive.

19. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois. Both parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts.

Before initiating litigation, both parties agree to attempt resolution through good-faith negotiation for a period of at least 30 days following written notice of the dispute.

20. Severability & Waiver

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. The failure of either party to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

21. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice through the platform before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance. Non-material changes (such as clarifications or formatting) may be made without advance notice.

22. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any applicable service agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and MuniNow regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, and representations.

23. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at: