Most of a meeting's documents are generated automatically — the Agenda Outline, the Agenda Package, the Transcript (see Auto-Generated Meeting Documents). But not everything fits neatly into the auto-generation flow. Public notices that need to be filed in advance, supplementary materials, certified copies of resolutions after the meeting, marked-up versions of agendas, exhibits that didn't make it onto a specific item — all of these are documents you'd add to the meeting manually.
This article covers the upload side of the Documents tab: the drag-drop interface, the document types you can apply, the security levels, and how uploaded documents behave once they're in the system. The flip side — managing the auto-generated documents — is covered in Auto-Generated Meeting Documents, and most of the post-upload actions (publish, view, edit, delete) work the same way for uploaded documents as for generated ones.
Where to find the upload area
On any meeting page, click the Documents tab. The upload area lives at the bottom of the page, below any existing documents.
[IMAGE: The Documents tab with the upload area at the bottom showing the drag-drop zone]
The upload block has two main pieces:
A drag-and-drop zone (or click-to-select) at the top.
A per-file configuration list that appears below after files are added.
The Documents tab is always available — no subscription module is required for uploads (you can upload documents even on governments without the Agenda or Recording modules).
Supported files and limits
A few rules to be aware of:
Format: PDFs only. Other formats (Word, Excel, images) are rejected by the uploader. Convert to PDF before uploading.
Size: Up to 100 MB per file. Larger files are rejected.
Quantity: Upload multiple files at once — the uploader handles them as a batch.
For files that don't fit these constraints (a large video, a Word document you want to keep editable, a folder of images), you can't store them in the Documents tab. Options: convert to PDF, link to them from your external file system, or compress.
Uploading files
There are two ways to add files:
[IMAGE: The drag-drop zone showing the prompt to drag files or click to browse]
Drag and drop — drag one or more PDFs from your file explorer onto the drop zone.
Click to browse — click the drop zone to open a file picker.
Once files are added, they appear in a list below with editable per-file metadata.
Per-file configuration
For each file in the upload batch, you'll see a row with:
[IMAGE: A per-file row showing the file name, status icon, Name field, Type dropdown, Security Level dropdown, and Trash icon]
A status icon — Waiting (clock), Uploading (cloud with progress bar), Done (check), Error (X).
The file name — by default the original filename; editable.
A Type dropdown — see "Document type categories" below.
A Security Level dropdown — Public, Internal, Confidential.
A Custom type input — visible only when Type is "Other."
A trash icon — removes the file from the upload batch (doesn't delete from your file system).
Configure each file's metadata, then click Upload (or the equivalent button) to start the actual upload.
Document type categories
The Type dropdown has six options:
Agenda Outline — typically auto-generated. You'd upload one only if you're manually replacing the auto-generated outline (rare).
Agenda Package — typically auto-generated. Same caveat.
Minutes — formal minutes for the meeting. Often uploaded after a separate minute-taking process if you don't use Govinity's built-in Minutes tab.
Transcript — usually auto-generated from the recording. Upload only if you're replacing the auto-generated transcript.
Public Notice — required pre-meeting notices (often by statute) that have to be on file before the meeting.
Other — anything else. When picked, a Custom type field appears so you can label what the document is.
One per type (except Other)
Govinity tracks document types per meeting and prevents duplicates for most types. If you've already uploaded a Public Notice document, the Public Notice option in the Type dropdown is disabled until you delete the existing one or change its type.
The "Other" type is unlimited — you can upload as many Other documents as you want, each with its own custom type label.
Why types matter
Document types control:
Sorting on the public portal — documents are grouped by type in a predictable order (Outline → Package → Minutes → Public Notice → Other → Transcript).
Surface in workflows — some integrations (e.g., automatic email attachments for meeting notifications) reference specific document types.
Searchability — citizens browsing the public portal can filter by type.
Even if a category seems arbitrary, picking the right type makes the documents land correctly downstream.
Security levels
The Security Level dropdown has three options:
Public — visible to all staff regardless of role; eligible to be published publicly.
Internal — visible to staff in selected roles; can be published but with restricted internal visibility.
Confidential — restricted to specific roles; typically not published.
Common patterns:
Public + Published — the document is fully public (e.g., a public notice).
Confidential + Unpublished — the document is internal and not for public eyes (e.g., a draft, an internal memo).
Public + Unpublished — the document is visible to staff but not yet released publicly (e.g., a finalized document waiting on a signature).
A key distinction:
Security Level controls who within Govinity can see the document.
Publish state controls whether citizens can see it.
A document can be Public + Unpublished (staff can see it, citizens can't yet). The two controls are independent.
Naming
The Name field defaults to the original filename (often something like "FY26_Budget_Workshop_Materials_v3_FINAL.pdf"). Customize it before uploading so the displayed name is clean and recognizable.
Good naming conventions:
"Public Notice - October 15 2025 Council Meeting"
"FY26 Budget Workshop Materials"
"Resolution 2025-42 - Adopted Copy"
"Item 5 - Site Plan Exhibits"
Bad names that you'd want to fix:
"Document1.pdf"
"Untitled.pdf"
"Scan_20251010_142533.pdf"
Citizens see the name on the public portal — so make it clear what they're looking at.
What happens when you click Upload
When you click Upload (or the equivalent action that starts the upload), the uploader:
Generates a signed URL for each file (so the upload goes directly to Govinity's secure storage, not through the browser's main connection).
Uploads each file in the batch. The Upload icon and progress bar update per file.
When each file finishes, the document record is created in Govinity's database with the metadata you configured.
Once all files are uploaded, they appear in the main documents list above with their full action set (Publish, View, Download, Edit, Delete).
You don't have to keep the page open during upload — the underlying upload uses signed URLs, but the document record only gets created when the browser tells Govinity the upload succeeded. So plan to keep the tab open for the duration.
After upload
Once a document is uploaded, it behaves like any other document in the Documents tab:
Publish/Unpublish — control public visibility (with confirmation prompts).
View — preview in the right-side viewer.
Download — get a copy via signed URL.
Edit — change name, type, security level, custom type.
Delete — remove with confirmation.
These actions are covered in detail in Auto-Generated Meeting Documents; they work the same way for uploaded documents.
Common patterns
A few patterns that come up:
"I need to file a public notice before the meeting." Upload the PDF as type "Public Notice." Set Security Level to Public. After upload, click Publish. Citizens can now access the notice on the meeting's portal page.
"The clerk has typed up the minutes from a previous meeting and I need to attach them." Upload the Minutes PDF with type "Minutes" and Security Level Public. After review, publish.
"There's a 60-page site plan that goes with Item 5 but I don't want it inside the agenda packet." Upload as "Other" with the custom type "Site Plan - Item 5." After upload, publish so citizens can download it as a supplementary reference.
"The agenda packet from a meeting was wrong; I need to upload a corrected version." Delete the auto-generated Agenda Package. Upload the corrected version, type "Agenda Package." This replaces the auto-generated one with your manual one. Publish.
"I have a presentation slide deck for the meeting — can I upload it?" Convert from PPTX/Keynote to PDF first. Then upload as Other with custom type "Presentation - [topic]." Publish so citizens can download.
"A resolution was certified after the meeting; I want to attach the signed copy." Upload as Other (or Minutes if your government treats certified resolutions that way) with custom type "Certified Copy - Resolution 2025-42." Publish.
Document ordering
Uploaded documents can be reordered via drag-and-drop in the main documents list. The order applies to both staff and public views — so you can put the most important documents at the top of the list.
The auto-generated documents (Outline, Package, Transcript) and uploaded documents are sorted together in the same list. You decide the order across the whole set.
Common questions
Can I upload Word documents? No — PDFs only. Convert to PDF before uploading. Word documents that need to remain editable should be kept outside Govinity.
Can I upload a folder of files? Drag-drop a folder isn't supported; the uploader needs individual files. Select multiple files at once, or upload in batches.
Can I bulk-publish all uploaded documents at once? No — each document is published individually. For a batch of 10 documents to publish, you'd click Publish on each.
What if I uploaded the wrong file? Delete the document (trash icon, confirm). Upload the correct file.
Can I upload while the meeting is Live? Yes — there's no status-based restriction on uploads. You can add documents to any meeting (Upcoming, Live, Completed, even Cancelled).
Does the security level matter for unpublished documents? Yes — it controls who within Govinity can see the document. For a document marked Confidential, only users with appropriate roles can view it, even though no one outside Govinity can see it either way.
Can citizens download documents I publish? Yes — published documents are downloadable from the public portal. The signed URL is generated on-demand for each download.
How long are uploads stored? Indefinitely. Storage is part of your subscription.
Can I move uploaded documents between meetings? Not within Govinity. Download from one meeting and upload to another.
What this article doesn't cover
Auto-generated documents — see Auto-Generated Meeting Documents.
Item-level attachments — handled on the legislative item itself; see Legislation documentation.
Public-portal layout — covered in public-portal docs.
What to read next
Auto-Generated Meeting Documents — the companion article for documents Govinity creates.
Finalizing and Publishing the Agenda — for the Agenda Outline and Package source flow.
Transcripts and Timestamps — for the Transcript source flow.
Need help?
If uploads keep failing, check that files are PDFs and under 100 MB. If a document type is disabled in the dropdown, an existing document of that type already exists — delete or change the existing one first. For anything else, reach out to Govinity support.