Executive Legislative Judicial Executive

County government

Counties are the basic territorial divi-

sion within a state and range in size from 

under 100 square kilometers to over 

200,000 square kilometers. In 48 states, 

counties are also the primary governing 

entity below the state government (coun-

ties in Connecticut and Rhode Island do 

not have governmental functions).

Major functions of county govern-

ments include recordkeeping (births, 

deaths, land transfers, etc.), administra-

tion of elections (including voter registra-

tion), construction and maintenance of 

local and rural roads, zoning, building 

code enforcement, and law enforcement 

(especially in rural areas). Some counties 

also share responsibility with the state for 

providing social benefi ts for low-income 

residents, monitoring and enforcing envi-

ronmental regulations and building codes, 

overseeing child welfare, and performing 

judicial functions. In some states, counties 

are the geographic units for public school 

districts, but schools usually have a sepa-

rate administrative structure.

Counties are run by popularly elected 

offi cials. There is typically a board of su-

pervisors or a county commission which 

sets policy and often exercises executive 

functions as well. Other elected county po-

sitions may include sheriff, judge, justice 

of the peace, medical examiner, comp-

troller, assessor, or prosecutor, among 

others. In addition to these elected of-

fi cials, many counties have a professional 

administrator, who is hired to manage the 

county government’s overall operations.

*In Louisiana, the political division which would be called a 

county in other states is known as a parish. In Alaska, it is 

known as a borough.

Local government

Volunteers work to enroll homeless people on to the 

voter list in a Salvation Army shelter in Bell, California, 

2004. County and municipal governments, sometimes 

assisted by citizens, perform all kinds of functions that 

touch daily lives.

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