Who Is Considered Rural?

A jurisdiction may be defined as a "rural city," a "rural county," or a "rural regional agency" if it meets specific criteria.

Public Resources Code (PRC) section 40184(b), defines a rural area, for the purposes of the Integrated Waste Management Act, as a jurisdiction "located in agricultural or mountainous areas of the state and located outside the Department of Finance's Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas" (PMSA).

Rural Cities

Per PRC section 40183, a rural city or jurisdiction must meet the following criteria:

Either

Be less than three square miles in area.

and

Have a current waste disposal rate of less than 100 cubic yards per day, or 60 tons per day.

and

Be located in an agricultural or mountainous area of the state and located outside the Department of Finance's PMSAs.

Have a population density of less than 1,500 people per square mile.

and

Have a current waste disposal rate of less than 100 cubic yards per day, or 60 tons per day.

and

Be located in an agricultural or mountainous area of the state and located outside the Department of Finance's PMSAs.

Rural Unincorporated Counties

Per PRC section 40184, a rural county must have a population of less than 200,000 and be located in an agricultural or mountainous area of the State and located outside the Department of Finance's Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Rural Regional Agencies

Per PRC section 40973, to qualify for:

Rural Reductions
(reduced diversion goal)

Reduced Planning Requirements

All members must meet all applicable criteria mentioned above.

All members must be in a "rural area."

and

All members must be in a "rural county."

Listing of jurisdictions considered rural for the year of 2005.

Last updated: January 09, 2008

Rural Jurisdiction Resourceshttp://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/LGCentral/Rural/
Larry N. Stephens, lstephen@ciwmb.ca.gov (916) 341-6241