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. 3Pt. 3Ch. 4Art. 3§ 56816 City Disincorporation Debt Responsibility

§ 56816 City Disincorporation Debt Responsibility

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

§ 56816 City Disincorporation Debt Responsibility

Key Takeaways

  • •If a city stops being a city, its debts and promises don't disappear—they stay with the same area.
  • •The city must list all its debts, money it has, unpaid taxes, and future bills before it can stop being a city.
  • •The city must also say who will take over any old redevelopment projects.

Example

A small town wants to stop being a city to save money.

Before the town can stop being a city, it must write down all its debts, like money it owes for roads or worker pensions. It also has to say who will pay these debts after it stops being a city. If it doesn’t do this, the plan to stop being a city won’t be allowed.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 56816 City Disincorporation Debt Responsibility

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that any proposal that includes the disincorporation of a city result in a determination that the debt or contractual obligations and responsibilities of the city being disincorporated shall be the responsibility of that same territory for repayment. To ascertain this information, the city shall provide a written statement that determines and certifies all of the following to the commission prior to the issuance of a certificate of filing for a disincorporation proposal, pursuant to Sections 56651 and 56658: (1) The indebtedness of the city. (2) The amount of money in the city’s treasury. (3) The amount of any tax levy, assessment, or other obligation due to the city that is unpaid or has not been collected. (4) The amount of current and future liabilities, both internal debt owed to other special or restricted funds or enterprise funds within the agency and external debt owed to other public agencies or outside lenders or that results from contractual obligations, which may include contracts for goods or services, retirement obligations, actuarially determined unfunded pension liability of all classes in a public retirement system, including any documentation related to the termination of public retirement contract provisions, and the liability for other postemployment benefits. The information required by this paragraph shall include any associated revenue stream for financing that may be or has been committed to that liability, including employee contributions. (b) The city shall provide a written statement identifying the successor agency to the city’s former redevelopment agency, if any, pursuant to Section 34173 of the Health and Safety Code. (Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 165, Sec. 5. (AB 2910) Effective January 1, 2017.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

disincorporationliabilityretirementobligationterminationlegislatureemployeesafety

Related Statutes

  • § 50871.5 Local Safety Retirement Benefits
  • § 66633.1 Advisory Board Member Immunity
  • § 6508.2 Retirement Obligation Apportionment Agreement
  • § 20423.6 Local Prosecutor Retirement Eligibility
  • § 31901 Public Employee Retirement Benefits

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 56816.
View Official Source