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HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 1Ch. 2Art. 4§ 23205 County Boundary Change Petition

§ 23205 County Boundary Change Petition

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

§ 23205 County Boundary Change Petition

Key Takeaways

  • •To change a county boundary, people must sign a petition (a special request paper).
  • •At least 25% of voters OR 25% of property owners (who own 25% of the land value) in the area must sign.
  • •Everyone who signs must write the date and their address (or property details if they own land).
  • •The petition must be given to the county within 90 days of the first signature.

Example

A group of people in a small town want their town to be part of a different county.

They need to get at least 25% of the voters in their town to sign a petition. If they don’t get enough signatures, the county won’t even look at their request.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 23205 County Boundary Change Petition

(a) A proposal to change the boundary line of two counties may be initiated by petition which shall contain all the matters required to be contained in a resolution adopted pursuant to Section 23203. The petition shall also designate a chief petitioner. (b) A petition shall be signed by not less than 25 percent of the resident-voters within the affected territory or by not less than 25 percent of the property owners within the affected territory who also own not less than 25 percent of the assessed value of land and improvements within the affected territory. (c) A petition may consist of a single instrument or separate counterparts. Each signer of a petition shall add the date of signing to his or her signature. A signature by a resident-voter shall be accompanied by the address of the voter. A signature by a property owner shall be accompanied by a description sufficient to identify the property owned. (d) A petition shall be filed with the board of supervisors of any affected county. No petition shall be accepted for filing unless the signatures have been secured within 90 days of the date on which the first signature was affixed. (e) Within 30 days of the receipt of a petition, the clerk of the board of supervisors shall determine whether the petition is signed by the required number of signatures. If the petition does not contain the required number of signatures, the clerk of the board of supervisors shall return the petition to the chief petitioner. If the petition contains the required number of signatures, the board of supervisors shall conduct proceedings pursuant to this article. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 702, Sec. 2.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

petitionresolutionpropertyinstrumentdescription

Related Statutes

  • § 23206 Local Government Hearing Process
  • § 23203 County Boundary Change Proposal
  • § 23201 County Boundary Change Definitions
  • § 23210 County Boundary Change Approval
  • § 23212 County Boundary Tax Filing

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 23205.
View Official Source