Local Government Central—Rural Issues

Who Is Considered Rural?

Note: This page contains the updated information about the definition of Rural Counties, as defined in the Per Capita Disposal Measurement System (SB 1016).

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

Public Resources Code (PRC) section 40183-4 rev. 2008, defines a rural jurisdiction for the purposes of the Integrated Waste Management Act, as a jurisdiction that resides within a rural county. A rural county is defined as a county which disposes of less than 200,000 tons of waste annually.

Jurisdictions may run a Single-year Countywide Origin Detail DRS web report to determine if their County is under 200,000 tons in a given year.

Rural Regional Agencies

Per PRC section 40973, to qualify for:

• Rural Reductions (reduced diversion goal)--All members must meet all applicable criteria mentioned above.
• Reduced Planning Requirements--All members must be in a "rural county."