LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 1Ch. 4Art. 1§ 23600 County Seat Designation Rules

§ 23600 County Seat Designation Rules

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 23600 County Seat Designation Rules

Key Takeaways

  • •Each county has a main county seat (like a capital city for the county).
  • •If the county seat is a city, it includes all land that city adds later.
  • •The county can pick a backup county seat in case of war or big disasters, even if it's outside the county.
  • •The county can't buy land outside the county just for the backup seat.

Example

If a big earthquake destroys the main county building in Los Angeles, the county can move its offices to a backup location, like a city in Orange County, until things are fixed.

The law lets the county pick a temporary backup spot for emergencies, so they can keep running the government even if the main place is broken.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 23600 County Seat Designation Rules

The county seats of the respective counties of the state, as fixed by law and designated in this article, are declared to be the county seats of the respective counties. In any case where a county seat is an incorporated city, it includes all territory heretofore or hereafter annexed to the incorporated city. The board of supervisors shall designate by resolution an alternative temporary county seat, which may be outside the boundaries of the county, for use in the event of war or enemy-caused disaster, or the imminence thereof, but real property outside the boundaries of the county shall not be purchased by a county for use as a temporary county seat. A copy of the resolution shall be filed with the appropriate county officials in that county and the alternative county. A different temporary county seat may be so designated at any time as circumstances indicate the desirability of such a change. The board, and any county officer or agency as directed by the board, shall provide such facilities of any kind at the temporary county seat as appear desirable for the functioning of the government of the county at the temporary county seat in the event that it becomes necessary, pursuant to this section. (Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 829, Sec. 27. Effective January 1, 1999.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

resolutiondisasterpropertylocationimminencedesirability

Related Statutes

  • § 26906.1 Tax Revenue Impoundment Rules
  • § 26911 Special District Assessment Rates
  • § 26912 Local Agency Property Tax Allocation
  • § 26912.1 Local Agency State Funding
  • § 26912.2 Delta Water Agency Tax Exemption

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 23600.
View Official Source