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HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 3Pt. 3Ch. 4Art. 3§ 56815 Incorporation Revenue Responsibility Balance

§ 56815 Incorporation Revenue Responsibility Balance

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

§ 56815 Incorporation Revenue Responsibility Balance

Key Takeaways

  • •A new city can't be created just to make money. It should be fair for everyone involved.
  • •The money the new city gets should be close to the money the old area spends on services.
  • •If the money isn't fair, the county and other groups can agree to fix it with special deals.
  • •Any fixes to money problems must be written down in official papers.

Example

A small town wants to become its own city to get more money for its schools.

The town can't just become a city to get more money. They have to show that the money they get will be close to what they spend on services like schools and roads. If not, they need to make a deal with the county to fix the money problem.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 56815 Incorporation Revenue Responsibility Balance

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that any proposal that includes an incorporation should result in a similar exchange of both revenue and responsibility for service delivery among the county, the proposed city, and other subject agencies. It is the further intent of the Legislature that an incorporation should not occur primarily for financial reasons. (b) The commission shall not approve a proposal that includes an incorporation unless it finds that the following two quantities are substantially equal: (1) Revenues currently received by the local agency transferring the affected territory that, but for the operation of this section, would accrue to the local agency receiving the affected territory. (2) Expenditures, including direct and indirect expenditures, currently made by the local agency transferring the affected territory for those services that will be assumed by the local agency receiving the affected territory. (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), the commission may approve a proposal that includes an incorporation if it finds either of the following: (1) The county and all of the subject agencies agree to the proposed transfer. (2) The negative fiscal effect has been adequately mitigated by tax sharing agreements, lump-sum payments, payments over a fixed period of time, or any other terms and conditions pursuant to Section 56886. (d) Nothing in this section is intended to change the distribution of growth on the revenues within the affected territory unless otherwise provided in the agreement or agreements specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c). (e) Any terms and conditions that mitigate the negative fiscal effect of a proposal that contains an incorporation shall be included in the commission resolution making determinations adopted pursuant to Section 56880 and the terms and conditions specified in the questions pursuant to Section 57134. (Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 530, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2002.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

incorporationagreementresolutioncommissionterminationlegislatureresponsibilityoperation

Related Statutes

  • § 12927 Housing Discrimination Definitions
  • § 31963 Actuarial Valuation And Adjustments
  • § 56803 City Incorporation Approval Process
  • § 56815.2 Local Incorporation Guidelines Task Force
  • § 56816 City Disincorporation Debt Responsibility

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 56815.
View Official Source