Local government’s duties and activities
Municipalities organise services for their residents. Most of these services are statutory functions of municipalities. Functions can be assigned to municipalities only by laying down provisions on them in law. There is also a great deal of legislation that contains obligations on how these functions are to be performed.
In addition to their statutory functions, the municipalities may choose to assume other self-government tasks. These generally concern the economy, employment, housing and promoting business activity.
The most important municipal functions are:
• education and early childhood education and care
• cultural, youth, library and sports services
• land use and planning
• water and waste management and the construction and maintenance of streets and roads
• construction supervision
• transport and public transport
• environmental services
• security and preparedness
• industrial policy, integration
• employment services (as of 1 January 2025)
• organising elections and promoting opportunities for residents to participate in the activities of the municipality.
An up-to-date list of the statutory functions of municipalities is available as part of the information management map of public administration.
Prime Minister Orpo’s Government is improving the conditions for municipalities to operate by continuing to deregulate municipal functions. To this end, a municipal deregulation programme has been launched, covering all sector-specific legislation governing the activities of municipalities. Read more about the programme: Deregulation of municipal functions and municipal trials (in Finnish).
Cutting the costs of municipalities by reducing statutory functions and obligations guiding their implementation was also one of the objectives of the 2015–2019 government term. The results of the related action plan are described in the final report of the project. Principles for regulations concerning municipalities were also prepared as part of the action plan.
• Provisions on municipal administration and finances are laid down in the Municipalities Act
• Final report of the action plan to reduce municipalities' functions (in Finnish)
• Municipal functions and obligations 2015, supplementary report, Publications of the Ministry of Finance 30/2015 (in Finnish)
• Review of the functions of municipalities, Report 2012, Publications of the Ministry of Finance 2/2013 (in Finnish)
• Survey of municipal self-government functions, Publications of the Ministry of Finance 40/2015 (in Finnish)
Contact information
Anne-Marie Välikangas, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 2955 30020
Suvi Savolainen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 2955 30122