California Special Districts

California Special Districts are local government agencies that provide essential services to millions of Californians.  Formed originally under the Wright Act in 1887, local residents form special districts such as the Bear Valley Water District when they want their community to have new or better services and infrastructure. The Legislature has continued to develop new types of special districts as tools to help residents come together to solve community problems. Special districts have become a popular mechanism for providing desired community services without the complex bureaucracies that often accompany larger general-purpose governments.

Special districts are unique local service agencies that provide vital services including water and energy, fire protection and public safety, treatment of waste water, and garbage removal and much more.  It is this focused service that allows for innovation and long-term planning to meet the community’s needs. Special Districts also safeguard our communities, work arduously to keep our families healthy and help our state thrive.  To learn more about what makes special districts so special, read California Special District's Association's (CSDA) "About Special District's Guide" and visit www.districtsmakethedifference.org for more information.

The California Special District's Association (CSDA), in partnership with California CAD Solutions, provides the most comprehensive, interactive map of independent special districts in California. CSDA’s goal is to have every special district headquarters and boundary lines represented on the map.  The Special District Mapping Project is supported in part by contributions from the California Special Districts Alliance, a collaborative partnership between CSDA, CSDA Finance Corporation and Special District Risk Management Authority (SDRMA).