The rapid development of Shah Alam led to the advancement of the Municipality into a City after 21 years of its formation. On 10th October 2000, Shah Alam was declared as a City and the Shah Alam Municipal Council is now known as the Shah Alam City Council. A glittering ceremony steeped in the Malay traditions was held at Dataran Shah Alam to commemorate the event. Y. Bhg. Dato' Haji Abu Sujak Haji Mahmud was appointed as the first Mayor.
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government agreed to promote the status of Shah Alam to a city as it met all the required criteria, namely: -
- Capital of the state.
- A population over 400,000 people.
- The centre for administration, business and trade.
- Total annual revenue exceeding RM100 million.