Townships

A township is a geographic and administrative unit used in various countries to describe a subdivision of a county or region. In land surveying, a township is a standard 6-by-6 mile square used to describe and organize land parcels. In local government, townships are political entities with responsibilities that vary by location, including services, planning, and zoning.

In the United States, townships are a common form of local government in many states. There are two senses of the term: survey townships, which are units for land description under the Public Land Survey System, and civil townships, which are actual governing districts. Civil townships typically provide services such as road maintenance, land-use planning, and sometimes emergency services, and are governed by elected boards or trustees. The exact powers and boundaries of townships differ by state; in some states, townships are the primary form of rural governance, while in others, municipalities or counties perform most local functions.

In Canada, townships historically served as land survey and municipal divisions. In provinces such as Ontario, geographic townships are used for land descriptions and historical planning, while civil townships have largely been replaced by incorporated municipalities. The term is less central in contemporary governance, but it remains a feature in historical records and land descriptions in several provinces.

In the United Kingdom, townships were historically sub-divisions of parishes used for local administration and poor relief. They are largely obsolete today, having been superseded by parishes, districts, and other municipal structures, though the term persists in historical contexts and place names.

Townships thus function differently across regions, spanning land designation, rural governance, and historical administrative practices.