City Attorney Salary in Sacramento, California

How much does a City Attorney make in Sacramento, CA?

As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a City Attorney in Sacramento, CA is $114,432. According to Salary.com, salaries can range from a low of $84,156 to a high of $149,181, with most professionals earning between $98,584 and $132,621.

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Salary range for an City Attorney

$98,584 to $132,621

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What is a City Attorney?

A City Attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The City Attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality. In some small towns, the City Attorney is usually a lawyer in private practice and handles only governmental matters. In other towns or cities, he or she also prosecutes minor crimes. A City Attorney generally handles all legal matters for the city, from traffic tickets to civil lawsuits to acting as a general counsel, giving legal advice for city departments. Areas of focus may include: Civil claims against...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 09/06/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

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Job Openings for City Attorney in Sacramento, CA

What does a City Attorney do?

Common responsibilities of a City Attorney

Demonstrated project management skills and abilities, including the ability to determine overall plans, outline tasks, delegate responsibilities, set deadlines, get feedback, review and report results.

March 25, 2023

Requires an equivalent combination of education, training, or work experience, that provides the knowledge, skill, and ability required to perform the essential functions of the position.

May 18, 2023

Reviews the legality and/or sufficiency of contracts, bonds, bids, leases, insurance, deeds, easements, and other documents that have legal, financial and/or policy implications.

November 04, 2022

Assist or take lead in drafting contracts, deeds, ordinances, resolutions, intergovernmental agreements, property transaction documents and legal memoranda to assure legal protection for the City in conformance with applicable local, state and federal laws.

February 25, 2023

Provide day-to-day legal advice to the City Manager, City department heads and staff including the community development, growth management, engineering and infrastructure, police, fire, finance, accessibility, communications, city recorder, code enforcement, municipal court, purchasing, public works, airport, affordable housing, and economic development departments.

March 12, 2023

Prepare drafts and/or review the legality of legislation, ordinances, resolutions, administrative policies, contracts, deeds, leases and other legal documents and instruments.

April 01, 2023

Maintains active liaison with City, County, District Attorney, courts and other agencies that interact with the Police Department.

April 29, 2023

Represents the City in lawsuits before Federal and State courts and in administrative hearings, including enforcement actions.

May 02, 2023

Performs described Essential Functions and related assignments efficiently and effectively in order to produce quantity of work which consistently meets established standards and expectations.

May 07, 2023

Attend and participate in meetings for, and provide legal support and advice to, City commissions, committees and boards.

May 21, 2023

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City Attorney Salary By Experience Levels in Sacramento, CA

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City Attorney Salary By Level of Education in Sacramento, CA

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LEVEL OF EDUCATION

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Average Salary Range for City Attorney in Sacramento, CA

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

98584

132621

114432

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

101758

142019

119793

What is the average salary for City Attorney in 2025?

These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of City Attorney in Sacramento, CA. The base salary for City Attorney ranges from $98,584 to $132,621 with the average base salary of $114,432. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $101,758 to $142,019 with the average total cash compensation of $119,793.

View Average Salary for City Attorney as table

	Average Salary	Average Salary Range
Base Salary	$114,432	$98,584 - $132,621
Bonus	$5,361	$3,174 - $9,398
Total Pay	$119,793	$101,758 - $142,019

* Base Salary represents gross income before taxes and deductions. It does not include additional pay such as benefits, bonuses, profit sharing or commissions.

* Total Pay combines base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job.

City Attorney Salary Near Sacramento, CA

CITY, STATE	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE	COMPARE TO Sacramento, CA
CITY, STATE Elk Grove, CA	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $98,612 - $132,658	COMPARE TO Sacramento, CA
CITY, STATE Roseville, CA	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $98,502 - $132,511	COMPARE TO Sacramento, CA
CITY, STATE Stockton, CA	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $97,463 - $131,112	COMPARE TO Sacramento, CA
CITY, STATE Fairfield, CA	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $102,305 - $137,627	COMPARE TO Sacramento, CA
CITY, STATE Antioch, CA	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,979 - $141,224	COMPARE TO Sacramento, CA
CITY, STATE Concord, CA	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $103,497 - $139,230	COMPARE TO Sacramento, CA

See salaries for City Attorney in locations close to Sacramento, CA. Pay for the same job may vary based on the location and on the location and on other factors such as the size of company, the industry, and other local conditions.

About Sacramento, California

Sacramento (/ˌsækrəˈmɛntoʊ/ SAK-rə-MEN-toh; Spanish: [sakɾaˈmento]) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's estimated 2018 population of 501,334 makes it the sixth-largest city in California and the ninth largest capital in the United States. Sacramento is the seat of the California Assembly, the Governor of California, and Supreme Court of California, making it the state's political center and a hub for lobbying and th...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/11/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

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JOB TITLE	LOCATION	MINIMUM SALARY	MAXIMUM SALARY
JOB TITLE Assistant City Attorney	LOCATION Sacramento, CA	MINIMUM SALARY $271,419	MAXIMUM SALARY $338,868
JOB TITLE Deputy City Attorney	LOCATION Sacramento, CA	MINIMUM SALARY $157,477	MAXIMUM SALARY $206,497
JOB TITLE Associate City Attorney	LOCATION Sacramento, CA	MINIMUM SALARY $117,481	MAXIMUM SALARY $174,366
JOB TITLE Attorney	LOCATION Sacramento, CA	MINIMUM SALARY $129,714	MAXIMUM SALARY $177,085
JOB TITLE City Clerk	LOCATION Sacramento, CA	MINIMUM SALARY $45,629	MAXIMUM SALARY $56,921
JOB TITLE City Assessor	LOCATION Sacramento, CA	MINIMUM SALARY $62,750	MAXIMUM SALARY $83,494

The City Attorney job could be listed using titles that are not exactly the same, but actually are for the same or very similar job. Here are some job titles in Sacramento, CA that might be a good fit for the type of job and salary you are looking for.

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