In the past, State Certification was a periodic program where states were asked to provide confirmation on legal updates submitted by local governments. Due to the inconsistencies in information provided by state and local governments, we are implementing an annual program to maintain accurate records and resolve any discrepancies.
To implement the State Certification process, the Census Bureau will compile a list of all local governments that reported boundary and status changes in response to the annual BAS. Where governments are required by state law to report boundary and status updates to a state agency, we will ask that a designated state official review and update the information, and then certify that the listings reflect accurate information for the local governments. Where state law does not require reporting changes to a state official, the designated official will be given the listings so that the state has a record of the changes the Census Bureau has received. This work is important for the Census Bureau to verify that the local governments completed all boundary changes in accordance with state law.
The boundary change data file, included in the State Certification package, provided an inventory of reported legal boundary changes to active incorporated places within a state. Because the Certifying Officials had the opportunity to review multiple years’ changes during this State Certification cycle, the Census Bureau created a separate data file for changes that became effective during each calendar year between January 2, 2002 and January 1, 2007.
The boundary change data files for all states are provided below. The file names include the effective year of the inventoried boundary changes. If an entity is not listed in a file, it means that the entity did not report any legal boundary changes effective during that year.
Note: If a state is not listed below, the Census Bureau did not receive any legal boundary changes effective during this period.
State Certification Respondent Guide [PDF]
