Orange County LAFCO

Agency Background

OC LAFCO

Founded in 1963, the Local Agency Formation Commission of Orange County (OC LAFCO) strives to ensure the delivery of effective and efficient public services such as water, sewer, public safety, and parks by local governments to Orange County residents.

How We Do It

Oversee Geographic Boundaries
Provides oversight of geographic boundaries of public service providers (e.g., the County, cities, and special districts).

Evaluation of Public Service Delivery
Prepares special studies, called Municipal Service Reviews (MSR), that evaluate the efficient and cost-effective delivery of public services .

Bring Local Government & Communities Together
Engages and collaborates with local governments, other service providers, and the public to explore potential alternatives to best meet the service demands of the existing and future County population.

5 Key Historic Milestones

The evolution and history of LAFCOs span over 60 years. Key historical milestones for LAFCOs are illustrated on the timeline below.

Studying Boundaries & Resources
Studying Boundaries & Resources

Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown appointed the Commission of Metropolitan Area Problems (The Commission) to study the complexities of local government boundaries and the misuse of land resources.

1963 LAFCOs Established To Regulate Boundaries
LAFCOs Established To Regulate Boundaries

The Commission’s recommendations were translated into the Knox-Nisbet Act of 1963 which established LAFCOs and provided LAFCOs with regulatory authority of local agency boundary changes.

1985 Laws Governing City & District Boundaries Are Unified
Laws Governing City & District Boundaries Are Unified

The Legislature enacted the Cortese-Knox Local Government Reorganization Act of 1985, repealing three previous acts (the Knox-Nisbet Act of 1963, the District Reorganization Act of 1965 and the Municipal Organization Act of 1977) and bringing the state’s boundary laws for cities and districts together into a single, unified statute.

1997 Commission Established Review & Revise Boundary Laws
Commission Established Review & Revise Boundary Laws

The Legislature established the Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century to review current statutes and recommend revisions to laws that govern city, county and special district boundary changes.

2000 Boundary Reform Bill Makes LAFCOs More Independent & Creates Review Process
Boundary Reform Bill Makes LAFCOs More Independent & Creates Review Process

The Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century released its recommendations in a report entitled Growth Within Bounds. The Legislature responded by passing the most important boundary reform bill since creating LAFCOs – the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000. This legislation empowered LAFCOs to become more proactive in addressing municipal service issues, required LAFCOs to be independent from counties, changed how LAFCOs were funded and required the preparation of Municipal Service Reviews.