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HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 1Ch. 2Art. 4.5§ 23231 County Boundary Change Definitions

§ 23231 County Boundary Change Definitions

Government Code·California
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§ 23231 County Boundary Change Definitions

Key Takeaways

  • •This law defines special words used when talking about changing county borders.
  • •It explains who is in charge of elections and petitions during these changes.
  • •It describes what counts as debt for a county when borders change.
  • •It says who is considered the owner of land in these situations.

Example

If a town wants to move from one county to another, this law helps decide who is in charge of the vote and what debts the town brings with it.

The law makes sure everyone knows who does what and what rules apply when a town changes counties.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 23231 County Boundary Change Definitions

As used in this article: (a) “Accepting county” means the county accepting transferred territory by reason of a county boundary change. (b) “Clerk” means the clerk of a county board of supervisors. When the office of clerk of the board is separate from the office of registrar of voters, “clerk” means the registrar of voters with respect to all duties pertaining to the conduct of elections and the certification of petitions and clerk of the board with respect to all other duties specified in this article. (c) “Commission” means the County Boundary Review Commission. (d) “Indebtedness” means the net obligations of a county arising from contract or through the operation of law, other than short-term operational expenses, but including and not limited to obligations arising under general obligation bonds, leases, joint powers agreements, and similar obligations or contracts entered into by the county prior to the date on which a petition is filed. Net obligation shall be deemed to mean the gross obligation outstanding after deduction of offsetting revenues, other than tax revenues. (e) “Owner” means the owner as shown on the last equalized assessment roll, except that the person entitled to be shown as owner on the current assessment roll shall be deemed the owner, and except that, where the property affected is subject to a recorded written agreement to buy, the purchaser under such agreement to buy shall be deemed the owner. (f) “Transferring county” means the county from which territory is, or is proposed to be, transferred by reason of a county boundary change. (g) “Uninhabited territory” means territory where less than 12 persons who have been registered to vote within the territory for at least 54 days reside at the time of filing of a petition or resolution for county boundary change. (h) “Value of the uninhabited territory” means the value of land and improvements thereon. (Added by Stats. 1974, Ch. 1393.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

commissionagreementobligationaccepting countyclerkindebtednessownertransferring county

Related Statutes

  • § 23254 Property Transfer Protest Rules
  • § 23260 County Debt Distribution Rules
  • § 23301 County Formation Definitions
  • § 14524 Federal State Transportation Funding
  • § 14528.56 Local Transportation Program Funds

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 23231.
View Official Source