Effective Date: April 13, 2026 | Last Updated: June 12, 2026
Welcome to CivicSummary. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our platform at civicsummary.ai and related services. By using CivicSummary, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using CivicSummary, you confirm that you are at least 13 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you are using our services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.
Note for minors:
Users between the ages of 13 and 18 must have parental or guardian consent to use this platform. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, please contact us at privacy@civicsummary.ai and we will promptly delete the account and associated data.
2. Our Mission and Service
CivicSummary enhances transparency and civic engagement by making local government information more accessible and understandable. We provide:
AI-powered summaries of public meetings and documents
Organized access to agendas, minutes, and voting records
Tools for civic participation and public comment submission
Email notifications and updates about local government activities
Search and archival tools for historical government records
Educational resources to help users better understand local government processes
Important:
We are an independent platform and do not represent or act on behalf of any government agency. Our summaries and tools are intended to supplement, not replace, official government communications.
3. Account Registration
To access certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:
Provide accurate, current, and complete information
Maintain the security of your account credentials
Promptly update your information if it changes
Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
Use only one account per person unless expressly authorized by us
Not create accounts using automated means or under false pretenses
We reserve the right to refuse registration or cancel accounts at our discretion, including accounts that we determine have been created fraudulently or in violation of these Terms.
4. Subscriptions and Billing
4.1 Subscription Plans
We offer various subscription tiers with different features and levels of access. Plan details, including current pricing and feature availability, are described on our pricing page at civicsummary.ai/pricing. Premium features may include, but are not limited to:
Extended archive access
Advanced and customizable alerts
API access for developers
Enhanced public commenting tools
Priority customer support
Exportable reports and data downloads
We reserve the right to modify, add, or remove features from any subscription tier with reasonable advance notice.
4.2 Free Trial
New users receive a 7-day free trial for paid subscription tiers with full feature access. No credit card is required to start your trial. Each user is eligible for only one free trial. Creating multiple accounts to take advantage of repeated free trials is a violation of these Terms and may result in account termination.
4.3 Billing
Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually in advance
Prices are subject to change with 30 days' written notice via email or platform notification
All fees are non-refundable except as required by applicable law or as described in our refund policy
You are responsible for all applicable taxes, which may be added to your invoice depending on your jurisdiction
Failed payments may result in immediate suspension of access until outstanding balances are resolved
We use third-party payment processors and do not store your full payment card information; by providing payment details, you also agree to the terms of our payment processor
Access to paid features continues until the end of your current billing period
You will not receive a prorated refund for unused time in your current billing period unless required by applicable law
Cancellation does not delete your account; your account data will be retained in accordance with our Privacy Policy
5. User Content and Public Comments
5.1 Public Comment Submission
Our platform facilitates the submission of public comments to government bodies. When you submit a comment through CivicSummary:
It may become part of the official public record of a government body
You are solely responsible for the content of your submission
Your name and comment may be publicly visible to other users and the general public
We may forward it to relevant government email addresses or submission portals on your behalf
We cannot guarantee delivery to government bodies and recommend confirming receipt through official channels for time-sensitive submissions
We are not responsible for how government bodies process, respond to, or act upon submitted comments
5.2 Content Standards
You agree not to submit content that:
Is defamatory, harassing, threatening, or abusive toward any individual or group
Contains hate speech or discriminates based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics
Is knowingly false, misleading, or deceptive
Violates any applicable law or regulation, including but not limited to election laws governing public comment periods
Infringes on any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights
Contains unsolicited advertising, spam, or commercial solicitations
Includes personal information of others without their consent
Is intended to manipulate, misrepresent, or interfere with civic processes
We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to review, remove, or refuse to forward any content that we believe violates these standards or could expose CivicSummary to liability. Removal of content does not guarantee that it was never forwarded to a government body.
5.3 License Grant
By submitting content to CivicSummary, you grant CivicSummary a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your content solely in connection with the operation and improvement of our services. You retain ownership of your content. This license ends when you delete your content from our platform, except to the extent it has already been shared with a government body or made part of the public record.
6. Intellectual Property
All CivicSummary content, including but not limited to AI-generated summaries, interface designs, logos, software, features, and documentation, is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws and is owned by or licensed to CivicSummary.
Government source documents reproduced on our platform are public records and remain the property of their respective government entities. Our curation, organization, formatting, and summarization of such documents constitute original work owned by CivicSummary.
You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works of CivicSummary's original content without our express written permission, except for:
Personal, non-commercial use
Legitimate civic advocacy or journalism purposes, with appropriate attribution
Uses permitted under applicable fair use or fair dealing doctrines
Any permitted use must include clear attribution to CivicSummary and must not imply endorsement by CivicSummary or any government agency.
7. Acceptable Use Policy
You agree not to use CivicSummary to:
Violate any applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems, servers, databases, or networks
Interfere with, disrupt, or degrade the performance or security of the service
Use automated systems, bots, scrapers, or software to extract data without prior written permission
Impersonate any person, entity, government official, or organization
Harass, abuse, threaten, or harm other users or third parties
Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with any security features or access restrictions
Introduce viruses, malware, or other harmful code into the platform
Use the service to conduct or facilitate political disinformation campaigns
Artificially flood public comment systems or engage in coordinated inauthentic behavior
Resell or commercially exploit any portion of the service without our written authorization
Collect or harvest personal information of other users without consent
Violations of this policy may result in immediate account termination and, where applicable, referral to law enforcement authorities.
8. Privacy and Data Use
Your use of CivicSummary is also governed by our Privacy Policy, available at civicsummary.ai/privacy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Key points include:
We collect information you provide during registration and use of the platform
We use your data to provide, improve, and personalize our services
We do not sell your personal information to third parties
We may share information with government bodies when you submit public comments on our platform
You have rights regarding your personal data as described in our Privacy Policy
We comply with applicable privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) where applicable
By using CivicSummary, you consent to our data practices as described in the Privacy Policy.
9. API Access and Developer Terms
If your subscription includes API access, the following additional terms apply:
API access is granted for lawful purposes only and is subject to rate limits described in our developer documentation
You may not use the API to resell, redistribute, or build competing products without express written consent
We reserve the right to revoke API access at any time if we determine misuse has occurred
API availability is not guaranteed and may be subject to downtime or deprecation with reasonable notice
You are responsible for securing your API credentials; unauthorized use through your credentials is your responsibility
10. Disclaimers
Important Legal Notice:
CivicSummary provides information sourced from public government documents and third-party data sources
We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, currency, or timeliness of any content on our platform, including AI-generated summaries
AI-generated summaries may contain errors, omissions, or mischaracterizations; they are intended as a starting point for engagement, not as authoritative records
Always consult official government sources for authoritative, legally binding information
We do not provide legal, financial, political, or any other form of professional advice
We are not responsible for actions taken or not taken based on information found on our platform
The service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement
We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components
11. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, CivicSummary and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors shall not be liable for any:
Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
Loss of profits, revenues, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses
Damages resulting from your reliance on AI-generated summaries or platform content
Damages arising from unauthorized access to or alteration of your account or data
Damages resulting from the failure to successfully deliver public comments to government bodies
Damages arising from third-party conduct or content
In no event shall our total aggregate liability to you exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid to CivicSummary in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100.00).
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitations of liability, so some of the above may not apply to you.
12. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CivicSummary, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:
Your use of or access to the service
Your violation of these Terms
Your submission of public comments or other user content
Your violation of any law or the rights of any third party
Any false or misleading information you have provided to us
We reserve the right to assume exclusive control of the defense of any matter subject to indemnification by you, at your expense.
13. Termination
13.1 Termination by Us
We may suspend or terminate your account immediately, with or without notice, if you:
Violate any provision of these Terms
Engage in fraudulent, illegal, or harmful activities
Abuse, misuse, or attempt to manipulate the platform or its civic processes
Fail to pay subscription fees when due after reasonable notice
Act in a manner that damages the reputation or integrity of CivicSummary or the civic communities we serve
13.2 Termination by You
You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at support@civicsummary.ai or through your account dashboard. Termination of your account does not entitle you to a refund of any prepaid fees except as required by law.
13.3 Effect of Termination
Upon termination:
Your right to access and use the service will immediately cease
We may retain your data as described in our Privacy Policy
Any content you have submitted that has been forwarded to government bodies cannot be retracted
Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will remain in effect, including Sections 5.3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 17
14. Modifications to Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. For material changes, we will provide at least 14 days' advance notice via email to your registered address and/or a prominent notice on the platform. Non-material changes may take effect immediately upon posting.
Your continued use of CivicSummary after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the service and cancel your subscription before the changes take effect.
Prior versions of these Terms are available upon request by contacting legal@civicsummary.ai.
15. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
15.1 Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles.
15.2 Informal Resolution
Before initiating formal dispute proceedings, you agree to first contact us at legal@civicsummary.ai and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will make good-faith efforts to resolve the matter within 30 days of receiving your written notice.
15.3 Binding Arbitration
If informal resolution fails, any disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the service shall be resolved through binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will take place in San Francisco, California, or via remote hearing where permitted.
15.4 Class Action Waiver
You agree to resolve disputes with CivicSummary on an individual basis only. You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.
This waiver does not apply where prohibited by applicable law.
15.5 Exceptions
Notwithstanding the above, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement of intellectual property rights or for matters involving imminent harm.
16. Accessibility
CivicSummary is committed to making our platform accessible to users of all abilities. We strive to comply with applicable accessibility standards, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. If you experience accessibility barriers while using our platform, please contact us at accessibility@civicsummary.ai and we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your needs.
17. General Provisions
Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other policies incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and CivicSummary regarding your use of the service and supersede all prior agreements
Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect
No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision in the future
Assignment: You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any rights or obligations hereunder without our prior written consent. We may freely assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
Force Majeure: CivicSummary shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, government actions, internet outages, or third-party service failures
Notices: Official notices to CivicSummary should be sent to legal@civicsummary.ai or our mailing address listed on our Contact page
Headings: Section headings are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of these Terms
Language: These Terms are written in English. Any translations provided are for convenience only; in the event of conflict, the English version controls
18. Contact Us
If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:
CivicSummary Support
For account support, sign in and use Help & Support from the account menu.
