Local elections were held in Serbia over two rounds on 3 November and 17 November 1996, concurrently with the 1996 Vojvodina provincial election. The first day of voting also coincided with the 1996 Yugoslavian parliamentary election and the 1996 Montenegrin parliamentary election. This was the third local election cycle held while Serbia was a constituent member of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the last time that Serbia oversaw local elections throughout Kosovo and Metohija until its controversial decision to hold elections in 2008.
Delegates to city and municipal assemblies were elected in single-member constituencies. If no candidate secured a majority in the first round of voting, the top two candidates took part in a runoff vote in the second round.
