Special district (United States)
Special districts (also known as special service districts, special district governments, or limited purpose entities) are independent, special-purpose governmental units that exist separately from local governments such as county, municipal, and township governments, with substantial administrative and fiscal independence. They are formed to perform a single function or a set of related functions.[1] The term special district governments as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau excludes school districts.[1] In 2017, the U.S. had more than 51,296 special district governments.[2]
Trends[edit]
The state of Illinois leads the nation in the number of special districts with California close behind.[42] State counts of their special districts may differ from the federal count because the states may have different definitions of a special district than the U.S. Census Bureau.[35]
Alabama:
Alabama Municipal Electric Authority
Arizona:
Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority
Arkansas: fire ant abatement districts (general law)
: Pomperaug Valley Water Authority (special act)
Connecticut
Delaware: tax ditches (general law)
Georgia: Special Services District
Atlanta BeltLine
Hawaiʻi: Central Maui Soil & Water Conservation District
Idaho: auditorium districts (general law)
Indiana:
Northwest Indiana Commuter Transportation District
Iowa: library districts (joint or regional) (general law)
Kansas: industrial districts (general law)
Kentucky:
Highview Fire Protection District
Louisiana: West Jefferson Levee District
Maine: cemetery districts (special acts)
Maryland: water and sewer authorities (general law)
Massachusetts:
Holyoke Water Works
Michigan:
Huron–Clinton Metroparks
Minnesota:
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Mississippi: lighting districts (special acts)
Missouri: Jackson County Sports Complex Authority (special act)
Montana: county rail authorities (general law)
Nebraska:
Omaha Public Power District
Nevada:
Las Vegas–Clark County Library District
New Hampshire: housing authorities (general law)
New Jersey:
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
New Mexico:
Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District
North Carolina: Research Triangle Regional Public Transit Authority (special act)
North Dakota:
Minot Park District
Oklahoma: public library systems (general law)
Oregon:
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District
: East Providence Special Development District Commission (special act)
Rhode Island
South Carolina:
St. John's Fire District
South Dakota: television translator districts (general law)
Tennessee: utility districts (general law)
: Palacios Seawall Commission (special act)
Texas
Utah:
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District
Vermont: Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (special act)
: Buchanan County Tourist Train Development Authority (special act)
Virginia
Washington: Independent
health districts
West Virginia: Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority
Wyoming: Solid Waste Disposal District
Baggs
All of the following examples have been found by the U.S. Census Bureau to be special districts.[42] See the Census of Governments Government Organization publications at a depository library or visit https://www.census.gov and select Governments Division.
District
Joint powers authority
Local government in the United States
Public-benefit nonprofit corporation
Friedman, L. M. A history of American law. (3rd). Simon & Schuster: New York. 2005.
Krane, D., Rigos, P. N., and Hill, M. B. Home rule in America: A fifty-state handbook. CQ Press. 2001.
Mergent's Municipal and Government Manual
Zimmerman, J. F. The New England town meeting. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1997.