What exactly is is HOME RULE?

Question

Is it a form o local govn. independent from federal govn.?

Is it a form of local government largely independent from the state government?

Is it a form of state government largely independent from the federal government?

Is it a form of state government largely independent from local government?

Is it a form of city government largely independent from the county government?

Im confused on what it really means!

Answer 1

Home rule is usually used as a term for self-determination on the national level.  That type of self-determination on a (United States) state level has been referred to as Federalism or simply "State's Rights".

The term is as British as it sounds.  It was most prominently applied to Ireland (the Republic of Ireland, not "Northern Ireland") and India.  In the recent decades it has been applied to Scotland as well.

"Home Rule" is a term that basically has been used to describe the removal of British troops, and peaceful return to self-government as the British Empire began to shrink in the early 20th Century.

Answer 2

It refers to increased power of local government within state government.

In the US, you typically see the term in reference to municipal home rule, which is the right of cities to govern things like zoning laws at will without seeking permission from the state for each law they wish to pass. Its used for areas that are typically left up to states, but in a particular case, the state makes an exception and allows the city to govern itself.