Bureau of the Census Geographically Updated Population Certification Program

Following the 1970 decennial census and every decennial census thereafter, the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) has provided the opportunity for county, local, and tribal governments to obtain certified population and housing unit counts for areas in which their boundaries have changed from those used to tabulate the results of the immediately preceding decennial census. These changes might occur either as the result of newly created governmental units (incorporations), additions to existing governmental units (annexations), the combination of two existing governmental units (merger), or other circumstances. These governmental units are established by law for the purpose of implementing specified general- or special-purpose governmental functions; the certification process is available to both. Most governmental units have legally established boundaries and names and have officials (usually elected) who have the power to carry out legally prescribed functions, provide services for residents, and raise revenues. These are commonly referred to as general-purpose governmental units and typically include counties, boroughs, cities, towns, villages, townships, and federally recognized American Indian reservations. Special-purpose governmental units typically are limited to one function, such as school districts. This update service was suspended on June 1, 1998, to accommodate the taking of the 2000 census. The Census Bureau developed this rule to reinstate the service through a centralized system for certifying population and housing counts and to establish a fee structure that accurately reflects the costs associated with this certification service. This service will be a permanent process, but one that will be temporarily suspended during future decennial censuses. Typically, the Census Bureau will suspend this service, and direct its resources to the decennial census, for a total of five years--the two years preceding the decennial census, the decennial census ye