Automating the handling of citizen inquiries: What municipalities can implement in a legally compliant way

The typical day-to-day in a municipal administration

A large share of the inquiries received by municipalities are repetitive: opening hours of the citizens’ office, which form is needed for which application, or which department a specific request should be forwarded to. Yet the same person often answers these questions individually again and again by phone or email — time that is then missing for more complex cases.

What can be automated — and what cannot

It is important to make a clear distinction: automation is suitable for standardized, recurring information. Individual notices, discretionary decisions, and legally binding information remain with the responsible staff members.

• A chatbot answers standard questions (opening hours, required documents, responsibilities) around the clock.
• Incoming emails are automatically assigned to the correct department instead of being distributed manually.
• Frequently requested forms are linked automatically instead of each request being answered individually.

Legal certainty as a basic requirement

The public sector is subject to special requirements regarding transparency and accessibility. A chatbot must clearly identify itself as an automated system (see the transparency obligations under the EU AI Act), and data processing must comply with the requirements for administrative data.

Practical example: relieving the burden on the citizens’ office of a medium-sized municipality

A typical case: a citizens’ office receives numerous calls every day about opening hours and the documents required for standard procedures such as change-of-address registrations. After a chatbot is introduced on the municipality’s website, these standard questions are answered automatically, and the staff in the citizens’ office have more time for matters that actually require personal consultation.

Frequently asked questions about automated citizen inquiries

Are municipalities even allowed to use AI chatbots?

Yes, as long as the chatbot clearly identifies itself as an AI system and does not make legally binding individual decisions — this corresponds to the transparency obligations under the EU AI Act.

What happens with more complex requests?

The chatbot forwards these to the responsible staff member instead of forcing an answer for which it is not responsible.

Is this feasible with a limited IT budget?

For many municipalities, funding opportunities are available for digitalization projects in administration — an initial consultation clarifies what is possible in the specific case.

How accessible is such a chatbot?

Accessibility must be planned from the outset — for example through clear language and screen reader compatibility, which is a strict procurement criterion, especially for public contracting authorities.

Next step

Automated citizen inquiries relieve public administrations where the same requests recur most often. Learn more on our industry page for municipalities and public administration, or go directly to the free AI readiness check.