LAFCO is an independent agency created by state legislature to ensure changes in governmental organization occur in a manner which facilitates efficient and quality delivery of services and preserves agricultural land resources. LAFCO of Calaveras County is updating its own Policies, Standards and Procedures promoting state policy embodied in the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000.

The Local Agency Formation Commission of Calaveras County is committed to serving the citizens, governmental agencies, and applicants of its jurisdiction by using its authority, knowledge and expertise to make beneficial changes in the structure of public agencies through special studies, programs and actions resulting in the resolution of conflicts; orderly growth, development, and governance of communities within Calaveras County; cost-effective delivery of services; and timely processing of applications.

The creation of LAFCO was a legislative response to actions by local jurisdictions in the 1940's and 1950's. Agencies incorporated or annexed large, irregular portions of land in a manner resulting in irrational urban boundaries, unnecessary conversion of prime agricultural land and isolated populations without efficient services or with no services at all. In 1963, the Legislature established a Local Agency Formation Commission in each county and delegated to them its regulatory authority over local agency boundary changes. LAFCO serves the legislature’s “watchdog” in promoting orderly development and discouraging urban sprawl.