ARTICLE 2. Formation [49005. - 49017.]

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 2.

in effect

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49005. Section 49005.

Any portion or portions of a county, whether contiguous or noncontiguous, and whether the portion or portions include incorporated or unincorporated territory, may be formed into a garbage disposal district in the manner and under the proceedings set forth in this chapter, except that less than the whole of any city shall not be included in the district without unanimous consent of the governing body of the city and no parcel of noncontiguous territory which is less than a full subdivision or which contains less than 10 privately owned acres may be included in any district.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49006. Section 49006.

(a) The board of supervisors may determine, by resolution, that a portion of the county is in need of facilities for the disposal of garbage and should be formed into a district. (b) Upon making the determination under subdivision (a), the board of supervisors shall fix a time and a place for a hearing on the matter of the formation of the district, which time shall be not less than three weeks after the adoption of the resolution, and shall direct the clerk of the board to publish a notice once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper which is circulated in the territory that is proposed to be organized into a district and which the board deems most likely to give notice to the inhabitants of the territory.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49007. Section 49007.

The notice shall state the fact that the board of supervisors has fixed the time and place, which shall be stated in the notice, for a hearing on the matter of the formation of a garbage disposal district.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49008. Section 49008.

The notice shall describe the territory or shall specify the exterior boundaries of the territory proposed to be organized into a district. So far as practicable, the boundaries shall be the center lines of highways.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49009. Section 49009.

At any time prior to the time fixed for a hearing of the matter, any person interested may file with the clerk of the board written objections to the formation of the district. At the time and place fixed for the hearing or at any time to which the hearing may be continued, the board of supervisors shall consider and pass on all objections to the creation of the district, or to the inclusion of any territory in the district. At the hearing, the board of supervisors may exclude any territory that, in the opinion of the board of supervisors, would not be benefited by inclusion in the district.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49010. Section 49010.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the board of supervisors shall either adopt an order abandoning the creation of the proposed district or shall, by resolution, order the matter of the creation of the district, within the boundary lines determined upon at the hearing, to be submitted to the voters registered in the proposed district at an election to be called for that purpose. At the election only voters registered in the proposed district shall be permitted to vote.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49011. Section 49011.

Election precincts shall be established by the board of supervisors, and election boards composed of one inspector, one judge, and one clerk shall be named. At least one week prior to the election, notice of the election shall be given by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the proposed district. In other matters, the election shall be conducted in the manner ordered by the board of supervisors.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49012. Section 49012.

(a) Within five days after the district formation election has been called, the board of supervisors shall transmit, by registered mail, a written notification of the election call to the executive officer of the local agency formation commission of the county or principal county in which the territory or major portion of the territory of the proposed district is located. The written notice shall include the name and a description of the proposed district and may be in the form of a certified copy of the resolution adopted by the board of supervisors. (b) The executive officer of the local agency formation commission, within five days after being notified that a district formation election has been called, shall submit to the local agency formation commission, for its approval or modification, an impartial analysis of the proposed district formation. (c) The impartial analysis shall not exceed 500 words in length and shall include a specific description of the boundaries of the district proposed to be formed. (d) The local agency formation commission, within five days after the receipt of the executive officer’s analysis, shall approve or modify the analysis and submit it to the officials in charge of conducting the district formation election.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49013. Section 49013.

(a) The board of supervisors or any member or members of the board authorized by the board, or any individual voter or bona fide association of citizens entitled to vote on the district formation proposition, or any combination of those voters and associations of citizens, may file a written argument for or a written argument against the proposed district formation. (b) Arguments shall not exceed 300 words in length and shall be filed with the officials in charge of conducting the election not less than 54 days prior to the date of the district formation election.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49014. Section 49014.

(a) If more than one argument for or more than one argument against the proposed district formation is filed with the election officials within the time prescribed, the election officials shall select one of the arguments for printing and distribution to the voters. (b) In selecting the arguments, the election officials shall give preference and priority in the order named to the arguments of the following: (1) The board of supervisors or any member or members of the board authorized by the board. (2) Individual voters or bona fide associations of citizens or a combination of those voters and associations.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49015. Section 49015.

(a) The officials in charge of conducting the election shall cause a ballot pamphlet concerning the district formation proposition to be voted on to be printed and mailed to each voter entitled to vote on the district formation question. (b) The ballot pamphlet shall contain all of the following in the order prescribed: (1) The complete text of the proposition. (2) The impartial analysis of the proposition prepared by the local agency formation commission. (3) The argument for the proposed district formation. (4) The argument against the proposed district formation. (c) The election officials shall mail a ballot pamphlet to each voter entitled to vote in the district formation election at least 10 days prior to the date of the election. The ballot pamphlet is “official matter” within the meaning of Section 13303 of the Elections Code.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49016. Section 49016.

If at the election a majority of all those voting upon the question of creation of the district, and a majority of those voting thereon in each city is in favor of the formation of the district, the board of supervisors shall make an order forming the district and thereupon it is formed. The order shall contain the name of the district and a description of the boundaries, or otherwise indicate its territorial extent. The order is conclusive evidence of the regularity of all prior proceedings, except the adoption and publication in full of the resolution of intention, and of the fact of the holding of the hearing on formation.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 49017. Section 49017.

(a) A district may be formed for the exclusive purpose of providing, maintaining, and operating a garbage and refuse disposal site. In forming a district for this limited purpose, the determination of the board of supervisors required by Section 44006 shall be that this is the exclusive purpose of the district. In all other matters a district shall be formed in the same manner as other districts under this chapter. On formation, the district shall have only those powers granted to districts by this chapter that are reasonably necessary to carry out the exclusive purpose. (b) A district formed for the exclusive purpose of providing, maintaining, and operating a garbage and refuse disposal site may issue bonds and levy taxes therefor in the same manner as provided for bonds of garbage and refuse disposal districts pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 44160) of Chapter 2, and may issue revenue bonds pursuant to the Revenue Bond Law of 1941 (Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 54300) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code).

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026