Boundary and Annexation Survey

(BAS) Tribal Respondent Guide: 

Digital

Instructions for Participating in the 2018 Boundary and Annexation 

Survey Revised as of January 24, 2018

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economic and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov
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Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page i

Table of Contents

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement .......................................................................... v

Introduction .................................................................................................................. vi

A.1 The Boundary and Annexation Survey........................................................................................ vi

A.2 What’s New for the 2018 BAS? ................................................................................................... vi

A.3 Key Dates for BAS Respondents................................................................................................. vi

A.4 BAS State Agreements................................................................................................................vii

A.5 Legal Disputes .............................................................................................................................vii

Part 1: DIGITAL BAS REQUIREMENTS..................................................................... 1

1.1 Digital BAS Participation Requirements .......................................................................................1

1.2 Tribal Areas that can be Submitted through BAS.........................................................................1

1.3 BAS Informational and Tutorial Videos.........................................................................................2

Part 2: Topological Relationships and Spatial Accuracy........................................ 3

2.1 Topological Relationships in MAF/TIGER ....................................................................................3

2.2 GIS and Spatial Accuracy.............................................................................................................4

2.3 Census Bureau Topology Training Video.....................................................................................5

Part 3: Census Bureau Provided Shapefiles ............................................................ 6

Part 4: Census Bureau Geocoding............................................................................ 7

4.1 MAF Structure Point Geocoding...................................................................................................7

4.2 Address Range Geocoding...........................................................................................................8

Part 5: Updating the Census Bureau Shapefiles ..................................................... 9

5.1 General File Setup Guidelines......................................................................................................9

5.2 Changing the Map Projection .......................................................................................................9

5.3 Boundary Changes .......................................................................................................................9

5.4 Additions and Deletions ..............................................................................................................10

5.5 Boundary Corrections .................................................................................................................10

5.6 New Tribal Subdivisions .............................................................................................................11

5.7 Geographic Corridors .................................................................................................................11

5.8 Geographic Offsets.....................................................................................................................12

5.9 Tribal Subdivisions......................................................................................................................13

5.10 Linear Feature Updates ..............................................................................................................15

5.11 Area Landmarks, Hydro Areas, and Point Landmarks ...............................................................16

5.12 Reviewing Changes to the Census Bureau Shapefiles..............................................................20

5.13 Additional Review Information ....................................................................................................24

APPENDICES............................................................................................................... 36

Appendix A. Data Dictionary ........................................................................................................... A-1

Appendix B. 2018 Digital BAS – Example Process 1 ..................................................................... B-1

B.1 Required Census Bureau Shapefiles........................................................................................ B-1

B.2 Symbolizing Layers in ArcGIS .................................................................................................. B-1

B.3 Extracting AIA Data from Census Bureau Shapefiles .............................................................. B-2

B.4 Creating Change Polygons Using Symmetrical Difference ...................................................... B-4

B.5 Creating Change Polygons Using Union .................................................................................. B-5

B.6 Reviewing and Attributing Change Polygons ........................................................................... B-8

B.7 Renaming and Finalizing Change Polygons........................................................................... B-10

Appendix C. 2018 Digital BAS Example Process 2 ........................................................................ C-1

C.1 Required Census Bureau Shapefiles........................................................................................ C-1

C.2 Symbolizing Layers in ArcGIS .................................................................................................. C-1

C.3 Creating and Splitting Linear Features ..................................................................................... C-2

Appendix D. MTFCC Descriptions–Complete List .......................................................................... D-1

Appendix E. Standard Street Type Abbreviations........................................................................... E-1
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page ii

List of Tables

Table 1: BAS Shapefile Naming Conventions ..............................................................................6

Table 2: Additions and Deletions ................................................................................................10

Table 3: Boundary Corrections ...................................................................................................10

Table 4: New Entities ......................................................................................................11

Table 5: Geographic Corridors....................................................................................................12

Table 6: Geographic Offsets ......................................................................................................13

Table 7: Linear Feature Updates ................................................................................................15

Table 8: Address Range Updates...............................................................................................16

Table 9: Area Landmark/Hydro Area Updates............................................................................17

Table 10: New Landmark/Hydro Area MTFCC Codes................................................................17

Table 11: Point Landmark Updates ............................................................................................18

Table 12: Restricted Point Landmark MTFCC Codes.................................................................19

Table 13: Change Polygon Naming Conventions .......................................................................26

Table 14: Whole Entity Polygon Naming Conventions. ..............................................................26

Table 15: Optional Files ......................................................................................................27

Table 16: Alaska Native Regional Corporation (ANRC) Shapefile ........................................... A-1

Table 17: American Indian Areas - Legal (AIAL) Shapefile ...................................................... A-2

Table 18: American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) Shapefile ............................................. A-3

Table 19: Edges Shapefile .................................................................................................... A-4

Table 20: Area Landmark Shapefile ......................................................................................... A-5

Table 21: Hydro Area Shapefile................................................................................................ A-5

Table 22: Point Landmark Shapefile......................................................................................... A-6

Table 23: Geographic Offset Shapefile..................................................................................... A-6

Table 24: Suggested MTFCC Symbolization............................................................................ B-1

Table 25: Edges MTFCC Suggested Symbolization................................................................. C-1

Table 26: MTFCC List .................................................................................................... D-1
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page iii

List of Figures

Figure 1. Road Representing 3 Types of Boundaries...................................................................3

Figure 2. Typological Integration of Four Classes ........................................................................4

Figure 3. Overlay of Four Feature Classes...................................................................................5

Figure 4. GIS Place Boundary Does Not Follow Road Feature....................................................5

Figure 5. MSP Method of Geocoding............................................................................................7

Figure 6. Address Range Method of Geocoding...........................................................................8

Figure 7. Geographic Corridor Created ......................................................................................12

Figure 8. Geographic Corridor Not Created................................................................................12

Figure 9. Cadastral Data ......................................................................................................13

Figure 10. Same Data Edited to Census Requirements .............................................................13

Figure 11. A Boundary Correction to Park A...............................................................................16

Figure 12. Boundary Correction Not Snapped to Existing Linear Features ................................20

Figure 13. Annexation Created without Snapping to Centerlines ...............................................21

Figure 14. Small Spatial Correction Not Incorporated ................................................................21

Figure 15. Small Spatial Corretion Not Acepted .........................................................................22

Figure 16. Large Boundary Corrections......................................................................................22

Figure 17. New Road Features, Not Added to Existing Road.....................................................23

Figure 18. New Road Features, Correctly Added .......................................................................23

Figure 19. Selecting and Zipping Return Files............................................................................27

Figure 20. Naming the Zip File....................................................................................................28

Figure 21. SWIM Account Registration.......................................................................................30

Figure 22. SWIM Login Window. ................................................................................................30

Figure 23. Welcome Screen with Upload History .......................................................................31

Figure 24. Geographic Partnership Program Selection Window ................................................31

Figure 25. Geographic Level Selection Window .........................................................................32

Figure 26. Geographic Entity Selection Window.........................................................................32

Figure 27. File Upload Screen ....................................................................................................33

Figure 28. File Browser Dialog Box ............................................................................................33

Figure 29. Entering Comments into the File Upload Window .....................................................34

Figure 30. Thank You Screen .....................................................................................................34

Figure 31. Suggested Map Symbolization ................................................................................ B-2

Figure 32. Filtering Data .................................................................................................... B-3

Figure 33. Export Data Window ................................................................................................ B-3

Figure 34. Finalizing the Merge Process .................................................................................. B-4

Figure 35. Finalizing the Symmetrical Difference Process........................................................ B-5
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page iv

Figure 36. Finalizing the Union Process ................................................................................... B-6

Figure 37. Locating the Union Shapefile................................................................................... B-7

Figure 38. Small Slivers That Should Be Deleted..................................................................... B-8

Figure 39. Polygons That Should Be Snapped to Roads or Rivers .......................................... B-8

Figure 40. Suggested Map Symbolization. ............................................................................... C-2

Figure 41. Create Features Window. ........................................................................................ C-3

Figure 42. Linear Feature Selection Before Being Split............................................................ C-5

Figure 43. Linear Feature Selection After Being Split............................................................... C-5

Figure 44. Selecting the Linear Features of a Change Polygon ............................................... C-6

Figure 45. Newly Created AIA Feature ..................................................................................... C-7

Figure 46. Select All Change Types Formula ........................................................................... C-9

Figure 47. Exporting Data. .................................................................................................. C-10
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page v

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for 

failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act (PRA) unless that collection of information displays a current valid Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number. This collection is voluntary. The authority for 

conducting this collection comes from Title 13 Unites States Code (U.S.C.), Section 6.

The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0607-0151. Public reporting for this 

collection of information is estimated to be approximately 2 hours per response, including the 

time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden and suggestions for reducing the burden 

should be directed to:

Paperwork Reduction 0607-0151

United States Census Bureau

4600 Silver Hill Road, Room 4H177

Washington, DC 20233

The Census Bureau issued a Federal Register Notice to revise its confidentiality pledge 

language to address the new cybersecurity screening requirements:

Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from 

cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page vi

INTRODUCTION

A.1 The Boundary and Annexation Survey

The U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) conducts an annual survey called the Boundary and 

Annexation Survey (BAS) to collect information about selected legally defined geographic areas, 

such as counties (and equivalent areas), incorporated places, minor civil divisions (MCDs), 

federally recognized American Indian Areas (AIAs), including reservations, off-reservation trust 

lands and tribal subdivisions, Hawaiian Homelands, and Alaska Native Regional Corporations 

(ANRC). BAS also provides an opportunity for participants to review the names and geographic 

relationships for these areas. Title 13, U.S.C., Section 6, authorizes this survey.

The Census Bureau uses the boundary information collected during the BAS to tabulate data for 

the decennial and economic censuses, and to support the American Community Survey (ACS). 

Maintaining correct boundaries and boundary-to-feature relationships through the BAS helps 

ensure that the Census Bureau assigns the appropriate population to each governmental unit 

(GU).

In compliance with the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-16, the BAS supports the 

Census Bureau’s spatial data steward responsibilities for the Federal Geographic Data 

Committee (FGDC) and the Geospatial One-Stop by updating the inventory and boundaries of 

GUs.

In addition, the BAS is the source of up-to-date information on changes to the boundaries, 

codes and names of incorporated places, MCDs, counties (and equivalent areas), Hawaiian 

Homelands, ANRC, and federally recognized AIAs, which include reservations and offreservation trust lands used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS), the National Map, and the 

Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).

Please visit the BAS program Web site at <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas.html>. For more information on the BAS, please view the “Introduction to BAS” 

video series on the Census Bureau’s BAS Web site at <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas/library/videos/bas-intro.html>.

A.2 What’s New for the 2018 BAS?

1. The Geographic Partnership Support Desk (GPSD) is now fully functional and available to assist 

with any questions respondents may have regarding BAS.

2. Redistricting data contacts participating in the Voting District Project (VTD) may submit boundary 

updates for reconciliation with BAS contacts.

A.3 Key Dates for BAS Respondents

January 1, 2018 — All boundary changes must be legally in effect on or before this date to be 

reported in the 2018 BAS.

March 1, 2018 — BAS submission date deadline for boundary updates to be reflected in the 

ACS and PEP published data. Boundary submissions received by this date are also reflected in 

next year’s BAS materials.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page vii

May 31, 2018 — BAS boundary updates submitted by this date will be reflected in next year’s 

BAS materials. 

A.4 BAS State Agreements

The Census Bureau has established a number of arrangements with states for reporting 

boundary changes. Please visit the BAS State Agreements webpage within the BAS program 

Web site at <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/information/stateagreements.html> or call (800) 972-5651 for information regarding state agreements.

Note: The Census Bureau can only establish BAS state agreements for states that require 

local governments to report boundary changes to a state agency.

A.5 Legal Disputes

If the Census Bureau discovers that an area of land is in dispute between two or more 

jurisdictions, the Census Bureau will not make any boundary corrections until the parties come 

to a written agreement, or there is a documented final court decision regarding the dispute. 

If you have questions concerning this, please contact the Census Bureau Legal Office at 

301-763-9844.

For disputes involving tribal areas, the Census Bureau must defer to the Office of the Solicitor at 

the Department of the Interior for a legal opinion. Often complicated land issues require an 

extended period of time for resolution, and in those cases, the Census Bureau will retain the 

current boundary in the database until a legal opinion is issued by the Solicitor’s office.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 1

PART 1: DIGITAL BAS REQUIREMENTS

1.1 Digital BAS Participation Requirements

1. All participants must have the ability to edit a Census Bureau shapefile. The Census Bureau 

requires that entities update Census Bureau shapefiles with boundary and feature changes, 

rather than submitting a shapefile from a local Geographic Information System (GIS);

2. All participants must provide current contact information for the tribal BAS point of contact, the 

person updating the shapefiles, and the tribal chair;

3. All participants must provide legal documentation (such as trust deeds and Federal Register 

Notice) and effective dates for all legal boundary changes (new reservation land and/or offreservation trust lands);

4. Each non-legal boundary correction must contain proper update documentation; and

All participants must use the SWIM to submit their changes to the Census Bureau. Due to 

security requirements, we cannot accept submissions via FTP, email or any protocol other than 

the SWIM site (<https://respond.census.gov/swim/>). If you indicated on your Annual Response 

Form that you wished to receive the GUPS application, you will automatically receive the SWIM 

URL and a registration token via email. The email should arrive 5 days after the Annual 

Response is completed online (or 5 business days after the Census Bureau receives the paper 

form). To access the SWIM, enter the following URL in a new browser window:

<https://respond.census.gov/swim/>.

1.2 Tribal Areas that can be Submitted through BAS

The following can be updated through Tribal BAS:

 Federal American Indian Reservations are areas that have been set aside by the United States 

for the use of tribes, the exterior boundaries of which are more particularly defined in the final 

tribal treaties, agreements, executive orders, federal statutes, secretarial orders, or judicial 

determinations.

Trust lands may be located on or off a reservation; however, the Census Bureau tabulates data 

only for off-reservation trust lands. Please do not submit on-reservation trust land because the 

Census Bureau can only show the exterior reservation boundary.

 Federal Off-Reservation Trust Lands are areas for which the United States holds title in trust 

for the benefit of a tribe (tribal trust land) or for an individual American Indian (individual trust 

land).

The Census Bureau does not identify fee land (or land in fee simple status) or restricted fee 

lands as specific geographic areas.

 Tribal Subdivisions are legal administrative subdivisions of federally recognized American 

Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands and are described as additions, administrative 

areas, areas, chapters, county districts, communities, districts, or segments. These entities are 

internal units of self-government or administration that serve social, cultural, and/or economic 

purposes for the American Indians on the reservations and off-reservation trust lands.

 Hawaiian Homelands are areas held in trust for Native Hawaiians by the state of Hawaii, 

pursuant to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended.
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 Alaska Native Regional Corporation (ANRCs) were created pursuant to the Alaska Native 

Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) enacted in 1971 as a "Regional Corporation" and organized 

under the laws of the state of Alaska to conduct both the for-profit and non-profit affairs of Alaska 

Natives within a defined region of Alaska.

1.3 BAS Informational and Tutorial Videos

The Census Bureau created training videos to give BAS participants detailed instructions and 

information on how to report and submit BAS changes. These videos are available on the BAS 

Web site at: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/library/videos/bas-intro.html>.

If there are any questions or concerns about the participation requirements, contact the Census 

Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or geo.bas@census.gov
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 3

PART 2: TOPOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AND SPATIAL

ACCURACY

The Geography Division of the Census Bureau is responsible for developing geographic 

applications and executing related activities needed to support the Census Bureau in collecting 

and disseminating census data. For more than twenty years, the Census Bureau’s Master 

Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) 

System has become critical resources for supporting the Census Bureau in its geographic 

activities.

The following section will describe how the Census Bureau uses a topologically integrated 

system and how this differs from traditional GIS systems, which use separate layers of data.

2.1 Topological Relationships in MAF/TIGER

At the Census Bureau, we describe topology as the relationship between different levels of 

geography. MAF/TIGER is a geographic database in which the topological structures define the 

location, connection, and relationships of streets, rivers, railroads, and other features. These 

topological structures help define the geographic entities for which the Census Bureau tabulates 

data.

Instead of having a separate layer for each feature class (roads, boundaries, etc.) all 

MAF/TIGER information is stored in one layer or file. See Figure 1 and Figure 2 for samples of 

topologically integrated files in MAF/TIGER.

Figure 1. Road Representing 3 Types of Boundaries

This example shows how a road in MAF/TIGER can also represent a 

block boundary, American Indian Areas (AIAs) boundary and a school 

district boundary.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 4

Figure 2. Typological Integration of Four Classes

This example shows how four different feature classes are topologically 

integrated into one layer. One road feature represents not only a road, but 

also a block boundary, AIA boundary, and a school district boundary.

2.2 GIS and Spatial Accuracy

In a GIS, feature classes are usually not topologically integrated: they are separated into layers.

When you overlay these layers in a GIS, there may be boundary misalignments due to the 

nature of the data. These non-topologically integrated layers could cause issues in MAF/TIGER.

Figure 3 and Figure 4 show how files that are not topologically integrated might appear in a 

GIS when overlaid.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 5

Figure 3. Overlay of Four Feature Classes

This example shows an overlay of four different feature classes. Notice 

how the topological relationship is compromised. The block, AIA, and 

school district boundaries, which are supposed to follow the road feature, 

no longer align with the road in several locations.

Figure 4. GIS Place Boundary Does Not Follow Road Feature

This example shows a situation where a local GIS AIA boundary does not 

follow a road feature. Assuming that the boundary follows the road 

feature, changing the AIA boundary to match the local file exactly, and 

become misaligned (see arrows) would dissolve the topological 

relationship in MAF/TIGER.

The spatial differences between local GIS data and the Census Bureau’s topologically 

integrated file are often very small (less than ten feet) and can create boundary-to-feature 

relationship issues for the Census Bureau. Part 5: Updating the Census Bureau Shapefiles, 

Section 5.12 provides instructions on how to review digital submissions for small spatial 

boundary corrections. It also lists some of the potential consequences of making spatial 

boundary corrections that dissolve the topological relationships present in MAF/TIGER. You 

may find examples of suggested methods for correctly making boundary changes in 

Appendix B and Appendix C.

2.3 Census Bureau Topology Training Video

The Census Bureau created a video on topology and why topology is important to the BAS. For 

more information, please go to <https://www.census.gov/library/video/intro_bas_topology.html>

where you can watch the video.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 6

PART 3: CENSUS BUREAU PROVIDED SHAPEFILES

Please download shapefiles from the Web site <https://www.census.gov/geographies/mappingfiles/2018/geo/bas/2018-bas-shapefiles.html> in order to review your boundaries and submit 

changes. Please review and edit all applicable shapefiles. For example, if your tribe has new 

off-reservation trust land to report, you would use the “aial” shapefile. If your tribe also had tribal 

subdivision updates, you would use the “aial” shapefile and the “aitsl” shapefile. See Table 1 for 

the names of the shapefiles. The Census Bureau provides entity layers in ESRI shapefile format 

for download via the Web site.

Note: Shapefiles are ‘county’ based so you will need to download all the counties in which the 

tribe has reservation and/or ORLTs.

Table 1: BAS Shapefile Naming Conventions

Geographic Entity Type Shapefile Naming Convention

Federal Reservations and Off-Reservation Trust 

Lands PVS_17_v2_aial_<ssccc>.shp 

Tribal Subdivision PVS_17_v2_aitsl_<ssccc>.shp 

ANRC PVS_17_v2_anrc_<ssccc>.shp 

Hawaiian Homeland PVS_17_v2_hhl_<ssccc>.shp 

Edges (Roads, Rail, Hydro, etc.) PVS_17_v2_edges_<ssccc>.shp 

Area Landmarks PVS_17_v2_arealm_<ssccc>.shp 

Point Landmarks PVS_17_v2_pointlm_<ssccc>.shp 

Hydro Area PVS_17_v2_water_<ssccc>.shp 

Geographic Offsets / Corridors PVS_17_v2_offset_<ssccc>.shp 

Note: <ssccc> represents the two-digit state code and three-digit county code.

All shapefiles provided by the Census Bureau are in the following unprojected geographicbased coordinate system:

 Geographic Coordinate System – North American Datum 1983 (GCS NAD83)

 Angular Unit: Degree (0.017453292519943299)

 Prime Meridian: Greenwich (0.000000000000000000)

 Datum: D_North_American_1983

 Spheroid: GRS_1980

 Semi-major Axis: 6378137.000000000000000

 Semi-minor Axis: 6356752.314140356100000000

 Inverse Flattening: 298.25722210100002000
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 7

PART 4: CENSUS BUREAU GEOCODING

Geocoding is how the Census Bureau codes population to geographic entities. There are two 

primary methods of geocoding used by the Census Bureau. Both of these involve coding an 

address to a spatial polygon, but one uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, while 

the other uses address ranges.

4.1 MAF Structure Point Geocoding

A field worker stands in front of a house or living quarters, and records the physical location with 

a GPS device (Figure 5). Usually, the GPS point should fall very close to the front door of the 

house. However, since this is a field operation, real-world obstacles like locked fences, poor 

satellite reception, or even aggressive dogs might sometimes prevent the worker from gaining 

access to the front door. In these circumstances, the worker may have to take the GPS 

coordinate from the sidewalk or side of the road.

Figure 5. MSP Method of Geocoding

MAF Structure Point (MSP) method of geocoding. Notice that it is 

occasionally not possible for the field worker to go all the way to the front 

door, due to unforeseen circumstances, like the fence or the dog shown 

above. Thus, the MSP (represented here by the red pins) can sometimes 

fall within the road or the road right-of-way.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 8

4.2 Address Range Geocoding

When no MSP Geocoding is available, the Census Bureau codes houses and living 

quarters according to a potential range of addresses associated with the adjacent stretch 

of road (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Address Range Method of Geocoding

When it is not possible to collect an MSP, houses are geocoded 

according to their placement along a range of potential addresses along 

that road. Since the address is being related to the road, boundaries 

placed on front lot lines will lead to mis-geocoding unless an offset flag is 

used.

While the two methods of geocoding differ greatly, both rely heavily on the integrated nature of 

MAF/TIGER. These geocoding methods are affected by the way streets and boundaries are 

represented in relation to one another. This interdependence between streets, boundaries, and 

geocoding means that Census Bureau representations of legal boundaries may sometimes 

differ from other representations (e.g., in local or state GIS). This is especially true regarding 

geographic corridors and offsets that follow road right of ways (or the front lot lines of parcels).

In both of the examples above, delineating a boundary along the front lot line will tend to 

increase the risk of incorrect geocoding. As a result, using the road centerline as a boundary is 

the safer method.

When completing a BAS submission in which a road or road right-of-way is owned or 

maintained by a place or AIA but the adjacent housing is not, the respondent should use the 

centerline of the road (not the front lot-line) as the boundary whenever possible.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 9

PART 5: UPDATING THE CENSUS BUREAU SHAPEFILES

Census Bureau shapefiles can be updated to reflect boundary and/or linear feature changes 

that have occurred since the last Tribal BAS survey. Examples of these procedures can be 

found in Appendix B and Appendix C and in the Digital BAS demonstration video series at 

<https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/library/videos/digital-bas.html>.

Note: If there are problems with the processing of returned files, the Census Bureau will email 

a feedback document requesting clarification of any issues. If the problem cannot be 

resolved before the project deadline, the changes in question will not be made during the 

current BAS.

5.1 General File Setup Guidelines

After downloading the shapefiles from the PVS download page, follow these procedures before 

beginning actual updates:

 Open the downloaded .ZIP file to verify its contents.

 Copy the shapefiles into a directory on a server/hard drive.

 Open the shapefiles with GIS software.

5.2 Changing the Map Projection

Census Bureau files are in GCS NAD83 format and can be projected into any local coordinate 

system/projection. Most GIS software packages will allow users to transform file coordinate 

systems and projections. For example, if using ArcView to update files, activate and utilize 

ArcView’s Projection Utility Wizard extension. If using ArcGIS, use its Project tool in 

ArcToolbox. MAF/TIGER shapefile extracts contain defined projection information in the *.prj 

file. ArcView and ArcGIS access the *.prj file for projection information so there is no need to 

define these parameters before changing the file coordinate systems.

When updates are complete, participants may submit the boundary shapefile using any local 

coordinate system/projection if the shapefile contains a .prj file or spatial reference materials 

such as metadata.

5.3 Boundary Changes

In order to update MAF/TIGER, participants must create a separate change polygon layer for 

each updated entity type (AIA, ANRC, tribal subdivision, or Hawaiian Homeland). Please create 

change polygons in relation to the current MAF/TIGER boundary.

Appendix B and Appendix C provide two examples for creating annexation, deannexation, 

boundary correction, new incorporation, geographic corridor, and geographic offset change 

polygons. Review any boundary change polygons before submitting them (Section 5.13).

If you need additional shapefiles, please contact the Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or 

geo.bas@census.gov.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 10

5.4 Additions and Deletions

The Census Bureau will accept additions and deletions from AIAs, ANRCs, and Hawaiian 

Homelands, such as new reservation lands and off-reservation trust lands. Each addition or 

deletion change polygon must have the required attributes and corresponding change type 

populated, as seen in Table 2. The Census Bureau will snap any addition or deletion to a 

MAF/TIGER feature when it exists within thirty feet of that feature.

Note: Enter the name of the jurisdiction (AIA, ANRC or Hawaiian Homeland) adding or deleting 

the area in the NAME field.

Table 2: Additions and Deletions

NAME CHNG_TYPE EFF_DATE AUTHTYPE DOCU RELATE

Addition X X(‘A’) X X X

Deletion X X(‘D’) X X X

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.5 Boundary Corrections

The Census Bureau will also accept specific boundary corrections from AIAs, ANRCs, and 

Hawaiian Homelands. As with new reservation lands and off-reservation trust lands, the 

participant must create individual change polygons for each boundary correction. Each 

boundary correction must also have the required attributes and corresponding change type 

populated, as seen in Table 3, or the Census Bureau will reject them.

Note: Enter the name of the jurisdiction that the boundary correction is for in the NAME field.

Table 3: Boundary Corrections

NAME CHNG_TYPE EFF_DATE AUTHTYPE DOCU RELATE

Boundary Correction

(Add Area) X X(‘B’) X(‘IN’)

Boundary Correction

(Remove Area) X X(‘B’) X(‘OUT’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

The Census Bureau uses a topologically integrated database. As a result, the Census Bureau 

cannot process all types of boundary corrections for inclusion into MAF/TIGER. The following 

are types of boundary corrections that the Census Bureau will accept, process, and update or 

reject during the current BAS.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 11

The Census Bureau will accept and process properly documented boundary corrections during 

the current BAS that spatially interact with (abut) other BAS legal changes (annexation, 

deannexation, corridor, offset) and meet both of the following two conditions:

 In situations where the existing boundary has been digitized incorrectly or appears in the incorrect

location due to Census Bureau activities; and

 Where the overall shape of the geographic entity is maintained and no feature-to-boundary

relationships are dissolved.

The Census Bureau will reject boundary corrections:

 That dissolve boundary-to-feature relationships (roads, rivers, railroads, etc.) if the difference is

less than thirty feet;

 Which are greater than one square mile, or not contiguous with the rest of the entity boundary.

These boundary corrections may be part of additions which were never reported to the Census

Bureau. If so, legal documentation should be provided; and

 That have a width of less than thirty feet over the entire polygon.

Note: Remember that the Census Bureau will snap any entity boundary correction to a 

MAF/TIGER feature when it exists within thirty feet of that feature.

5.6 New Tribal Subdivisions

AIA participants may submit new entities (tribal subdivisions) through Tribal Digital BAS. As with 

other change types, an individual change polygon must be created for each new entity and 

possess the required attributes and the corresponding change type field must be populated (see 

Table 4). Please see Section 5.9 for more information about tribal subdivisions.

Note: Enter the name of the new jurisdiction in the NAME field.

Table 4: New Entities

NAME CHNG_TYPE EFF_DATE AUTHTYPE DOC RELATE

New Entity

X

(subdivision 

name)

X

(‘E’)

X

(date of tribal 

resolution)

X (‘R’)

X

(tribal resolution 

number)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.7 Geographic Corridors

The Census Bureau geocodes addresses based on the street centerline. If the geocoding of 

these addresses would result in the assignment of population to the incorrect geographic entity, 

participants should create a geographic corridor.

A geographic corridor is an area that includes only the road right-of-way and does not contain 

any structures addressed to either side of the street. Figure 7 shows a corridor created where 

the AIA owns the right-of-way but the housing units are not included within the AIA (shown in 

color). Without a corridor, the housing units along this road would be included in the AIA.
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Figure 8 shows that the right-of-way belongs in the unincorporated area, while the housing units 

are included in the AIA (shown in color). This is important for some entities because they are 

portraying that the entity is not responsible for road maintenance. This is not relevant for 

Census Bureau tabulations and is not easy to depict in the Census Bureau’s nationwide 

database. This type of corridor should not be included in a BAS response.

Figure 7. Geographic Corridor Created

Figure 8. Geographic Corridor Not Created

The image on the left (Figure 7) shows that a geographic corridor should 

be created to allow for proper geocoding of homes. The image on the 

right (Figure 8) shows that the geographic corridor should not be created 

and features should be snapped to the street centerline.

The Census Bureau will accept new geographic corridors. Please create individual change 

polygons for each new geographic corridor. Each change polygon must have the required 

attributes and corresponding change type populated, as seen in Table 5. In the NAME field, 

enter the name of the jurisdiction. In the RELATE field, indicate whether the change is adding 

IN or taking OUT (removing) the corridor.

Table 5: Geographic Corridors

NAME CHNG_TYPE EFF_DATE AUTHTYPE DOC AREA RELATE

Geographic 

Corridor

X X(‘C’) X(‘IN’, ‘OUT’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.8 Geographic Offsets

A geographic offset is an area claimed by a geographic entity that is only on one side of a road 

and does not include structures addressed to that side of the road.

The Census Bureau is aware that many governments base their legal boundaries on cadastral 

(parcel-based) right-of-way mapping. The Census Bureau bases their maps on spatial data that 

is topologically integrated. This makes the maintenance of geographic offsets inefficient.

Snapping an entity boundary to the centerline wherever applicable will help to establish more 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 13

accurate population counts. If a boundary is the front lot line, Census Bureau strongly prefers 

that the boundary be snapped to the road. If a boundary is at the rear of a lot, then please depict 

it as such. Figure 9 depicts a cadastral (parcel-based) boundary map and Figure 10 shows 

how the boundary should be reported when sent to the Census Bureau.

Figure 9. Cadastral Data

Figure 10. Same Data Edited to Census Requirements

On the left in Figure 9 is an example of cadastral data. Figure 10 on the 

right, is the same area shown edited to conform to census requirements.

The Census Bureau will accept new geographic offsets. Please create individual change 

polygons for each new geographic offset. Each change polygon must have the required 

attributes and corresponding change type populated, as seen in Table 6. In the NAME field, 

enter the name of the jurisdiction. In the RELATE field, indicate whether the change is adding 

IN or taking OUT (removing) the area represented as an offset.

Table 6: Geographic Offsets

NAME CHNG_TYPE EFF_DATE AUTHTYPE DOCU AREA RELATE

Geographic 

Offset X X(‘F’) X(‘IN’, ‘OUT’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

Census Bureau has included an “offset” shapefile in the BAS materials 

(PVS_17_v2_offset_<ssccc>.shp), so that your jurisdiction can be checked for any existing 

corridors or offsets. While the Census Bureau prefers that you do not create new offsets, (see 

above), this information can be helpful in determining if current boundaries are correct. 

5.9 Tribal Subdivisions

Tribes may submit the boundaries for one type of administrative area within their reservation(s) 

and/or off-reservation trust lands (land base) for inclusion in MAF/TIGER. The Census Bureau 

will consider any type of unit of self-government or administration as a “tribal subdivision.” Tribal 

subdivisions should cover all, or most, of the tribe’s land base. If a tribe has more than one type 

of distinct administrative area that could qualify as a tribal subdivision (such as tribal election 

districts, tribal water districts, or health service areas with different boundaries), the tribe may 

submit only one type of subdivision. Tribal subdivisions can be considered either active (A) or 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 14

inactive (I). Active subdivisions are defined as having a functioning government with elected 

officials that provide programs and services. Inactive subdivisions have no functioning 

government or elected officials and receive services solely from the tribe. Some examples of 

areas submitted as tribal subdivisions are:

 Areas used by a tribe for the election of tribal government officials (such as districts or precincts

used for the election of tribal council members).

 Areas used by a tribal government for tax purposes.

 Areas used by a tribal government for the provision of general services or specified services,

such as:

o Water districts;

o Health service areas;

o Emergency service delivery areas (such as 911, fire, and/or police); or

o Grazing districts or range units.

 Historical or traditional areas recognized by a tribal government.

 Local tribal community governments.

5.9.1 Criteria for Defining Tribal Subdivisions

 The delineation of tribal subdivisions is restricted to the area contained within reservation(s)

and/or associated off-reservation trust lands (land base).

 There is no minimum population threshold for a tribal subdivision.

 Tribal subdivisions should cover all, or most, of the tribe’s land base.

 A tribal subdivision may be discontinuous.

 A tribe may designate only ONE type of tribal subdivision. If a tribe has more than one level of

tribal subdivisions within its land base, the Census Bureau recommends delineating subdivisions

corresponding to the lowest geographic level (those geographic areas containing the smallest

area) of the tribe’s administrative hierarchy.

 Tribal subdivisions should not be based solely on land ownership or other cadastral areas, nor

should they consist of divisions based on the U.S. Public Land Survey System (PLSS) of

townships, ranges, and sections, if these areas have no governmental or administrative function

for your tribe.

 Some examples of descriptors for tribal subdivisions are:

o District;

o Community;

o Area;

o Chapter;

o Segment;

o Administrative Area;

o Addition; and

o County District.

5.9.2 Updating Tribal Subdivisions

Tribal Subdivisions are updated in a similar manner to boundary changes (such as additions or 

deletions). In order to submit tribal subdivision updates, please create a separate tribal 

subdivision change polygon layer. Updates that can be made to tribal subdivisions include 

additions, deletions, boundary corrections (adding and removing area), and creating new tribal 

subdivisions. Please note that all tribal subdivision updates (additions, deletions, name 

changes, and new entities), with the exception of boundary corrections, require a tribal 

resolution. Table 7, Table 8, and Table 9 displays the required attributes for each of the change 
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types. Review the example processes in Appendix B and Appendix C for information on how 

to create change polygons. Change polygons for tribal subdivisions may be created in the same 

manner as for reservations and off-reservation trust lands.

5.10 Linear Feature Updates

5.10.1 Adding, Deleting, Renaming, and Recoding Linear Features

The Census Bureau will accept linear feature modifications when needed. Please submit linear 

feature updates in a separate linear feature update layer. Each linear feature update must have 

the required attributes and corresponding change type populated, as seen in Table 7. In the 

TLID field, preserve the existing TLID for the feature.

Table 7: Linear Feature Updates

CHNG_TYPE TLID FULLNAME MTFCC

Add Feature X(‘AL’) X X

Delete Feature X(‘DL’) X

Rename Feature X(‘CA’) X X

Recode Feature X(‘CA’) X X

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

Note: A list of MTFCC codes can be found in Appendix D.

5.10.2 Linear Feature Update Guidelines

 If a road, subdivision, etc. is missing from the Census Bureau’s feature network, add the

feature(s) and provide the name and MTFCC.

 If a feature does not exist and is in the Census Bureau’s feature network, delete the feature.

 If a feature is in the incorrect location in the Census Bureau’s feature network, delete the feature

and re-add it in the correct location. Only do this if the feature is very far off or in the wrong

position relative to boundaries or other features.

5.10.3 Address Range Updates

The Census Bureau accepts address range data as part of the linear feature update layer. As 

with other linear feature updates, address ranges must have the required attributes and 

corresponding change type populated. As existing address ranges cannot be shown in our 

outgoing shapefiles, we recommend that participants generally only add address ranges to new 

features.
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Table 8: Address Range Updates

CHNG_TYPE FULLNAME MTFCC LTOADD RTOADD LFROMADD RFROMADD

Address 

Ranges X(‘CA’) X X X X

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.11 Area Landmarks, Hydro Areas, and Point Landmarks

5.11.1 Area Landmark/Hydro Area Updates

The Census Bureau accepts updates to area landmarks and hydrographic areas in a similar 

manner to legal boundary changes. However, area landmarks and hydro areas are not legal 

entities, so no documentation or effective dates are required.

In order to submit area landmark and hydro area updates, create a separate change polygon 

layer. Updates to area landmarks and hydro areas include: 

 Boundary corrections (adding and removing area);

 Creating a new area landmark or hydro area;

 Removing an area landmark or hydro area; and/or

 Changing the name.

Figure 11. A Boundary Correction to Park A

This Example Shows a Boundary Correction to Park A. See Appendices B 

and C for more information on creating change polygons for area 

landmark and hydro areas.

Each area landmark or hydro area update must have the required attributes and corresponding 

change type populated. In the AREAID field, preserve the existing AREAID for the feature.
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Table 9: Area Landmark/Hydro Area Updates

FULLNAME CHNG_TYPE RELATE MTFCC AREAID

Boundary Correction

(Add Area)

X X(‘B’) X(‘IN’) X

Boundary Correction

(Remove Area)

X X(‘B’) X(‘OUT’) X

Delete Landmark X(‘D’) X

Change Landmark 

Name X X(‘G’) X

New Landmark X X(‘E’) X

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field).

The examples in Appendix B and Appendix C provide information on how to create change 

polygons. While the sample processes are written for legal boundary changes, the same 

methods apply for creating change polygons for area landmarks and hydro areas. When adding 

new area landmarks or hydro areas, only add the following types of areas: 

 Water bodies;

 Glaciers;

 Airports;

 Cemeteries;

 Golf courses; and

 Parks.

The Census Bureau cannot add other types of areas at this time (although some may already 

exist in the database). The following are acceptable MTFCC codes for new area landmarks or 

hydro areas:

Table 10: New Landmark/Hydro Area MTFCC Codes

MTFCC Description 

H2030* Lake/Pond

H2040* Reservoir

H2041* Treatment Pond

H2051* Bay/Estuary/Gulf/Sound

H2081* Glacier

C3023 Island

K1231 Hospital/Hospice/Urgent Care Facility

K1235 Juvenile Institution

K1236 Local Jail or Detention Center 

K1237 Federal Penitentiary, State Prison, or Prison Farm

K2110 Military Installation

K2180* Park
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MTFCC Description 

K2181 National Park Service Land

K2182 National Forest or Other Federal Land

K2183 Tribal Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2184 State Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2185 Regional Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2186 County Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2187 County Subdivision Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2188 Incorporated Place Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2189 Private Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2190 Other Park, Forest, or Recreation Area (quasi-public, independent park, 

commission, etc.)

K2424 Marina

K2540 University or College

K2457* Airport – Area Representation

K2561 Golf Course

K2582* Cemetery

*May not be edited.

Due to heavy workloads for boundary changes to legal areas, changes to area landmarks and 

hydrographic areas may not be added to the database until after the next year’s BAS materials 

are created. It may take two BAS cycles in order to see these changes reflected in the 

materials.

5.11.2 Point Landmark Updates

The Census Bureau accepts updates to point landmarks. Please submit point landmark updates 

as a separate point landmark update layer. Updates to point landmarks include: 

 Adding a new point landmark;

 Deleting an existing point landmark; and

 Renaming a point landmark.

Each point landmark update must have the required attributes and corresponding change type 

populated. In the POINTID field, preserve the existing POINTID for the feature.

Table 11: Point Landmark Updates

FULLNAME CHNG_TYPE MTFCC POINTID

New Point Landmark X X(‘E’) X

Delete Point Landmark X(‘D’) X

Change Name X X(‘G’) X

The Census Bureau cannot make the following point landmark changes due to Title 13 privacy 

concerns. Do not include any of the following types of landmarks in the point landmark changes 

file.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 19

Table 12: Restricted Point Landmark MTFCC Codes

MTFCC Description

K1100 Housing Unit Location

K1121 Apartment Building or Complex

K1122 Rooming or Boarding House

K1223 Trailer Court or Mobile Home Park

K1226 Housing Facility/Dormitory for Workers

K1227 Hotel, Motel, Resort, Spa, Hostel, YMCA, or YWCA

K1228 Campground

K1229 Shelter or Mission

K1232 Halfway House/Group Home

K1233 Nursing Home, Retirement Home, or Home for the Aged

K1234 County Home or Poor Farm

K1235 Juvenile Institution

K1241 Sorority, Fraternity, or College Dormitory

K1251 Military Group Quarters

K1299 Other Group Quarters Location

K2100 Governmental

K2197 Mixed Use/Other Non-residential

K2300 Commercial Workplace

K2361 Shopping Center or Major Retail Center

K2362 Industrial Building or Industrial Park

K2363 Office Building or Office Park

K2364 Farm/Vineyard/Winery/Orchard

K2366 Other Employment Center

K2464 Marina

K2500 Other Workplace

K2564 Amusement Center

The Census Bureau also cannot delete or modify any point landmarks imported from the USGS 

GNIS database. Changes submitted for the following types of landmarks may be left 

unchanged:

 K2451 (Airport);

 K2582 (Cemetery);

 C3022 (Summit or Pillar);

 C3081 (Locale or Populated Place); and

 C3061 (Cul-de-sacs).

Due to heavy workloads for boundary changes to legal areas, changes to point landmarks may 

not be added to the database until after the next year’s BAS materials are created. It may take 

two BAS cycles in order to see these changes reflected in local materials.
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5.12 Reviewing Changes to the Census Bureau Shapefiles

Please review all changes to ensure that they are intentional and correct. The Census Bureau 

has created videos with information on many of the topics below. The video series, “Introduction 

to the Digital BAS” can be found on the web at: <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas/library/videos/bas-intro.html>.

5.12.1 Boundary-to-Feature Relationships

Please review all changes to ensure that the correct boundary-to-feature relationships are being 

created or maintained. The Census Bureau is aware that many governments base their legal 

boundaries on cadastral (parcel-based) right-of-way mapping; however, the Census Bureau 

bases maps on spatial data that is topologically integrated. Therefore, snap boundaries to street 

centerlines (or rivers, railroads, etc.) wherever applicable. This will help establish a more 

accurate population count for tribal entities.

The following examples show situations where boundary changes should be snapped to 

existing linear features. The Census Bureau will snap boundary changes to any linear feature 

within thirty feet.

Figure 12. Boundary Correction Not Snapped to Existing Linear Features

These boundary corrections are not snapped to existing linear features in 

MAF/TIGER. Both boundary corrections should be snapped to centerlines 

or population may be assigned to incorrect entities.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 21

Figure 13. Annexation Created without Snapping to Centerlines

This is an example of an addition that has been created without snapping 

to existing centerlines in MAF/TIGER. Unless the boundary is snapped to 

centerlines, some of the population may be assigned to an incorrect 

entity.

The Census Bureau will not accept boundary corrections that dissolve the current relationship 

between an existing boundary and linear feature. Any boundary corrections that create thirty 

feet or less of gap or overlap between the existing linear feature and boundary will not be 

incorporated into MAF/TIGER. See below for examples of changes that will not be accepted.

Figure 14. Small Spatial Correction Not Incorporated

Small spatial boundary corrections would dissolve the relationship with 

the river. These boundary corrections will not be incorporated into 

MAF/TIGER.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 22

Figure 15. Small Spatial Corretion Not Acepted

Small spatial boundary corrections that dissolve the boundary-to-feature 

relationship with multiple streets have been created. Incorporating these 

changes would affect the population counts for the area. Therefore, the 

Census Bureau will not accept these small boundary corrections.

5.12.2 Large Boundary Corrections

The Census Bureau will not accept large boundary corrections to an AIA without the appropriate 

legal documentation (such as Trust Deed, Executive Order, new legal opinion, Act of Congress, 

or Federal Register Notice). These large boundary corrections may be legal boundary changes 

that occurred in the past and were never reported to the Census Bureau. Please submit the 

appropriate legal documentation and effective date so that changes may be incorporated into 

MAF/TIGER.

Figure 16. Large Boundary Corrections

Without the appropriate documentation, Census Bureau will not accept 

large boundary corrections.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 23

Note: There may be a few instances when large boundary corrections need to be made 

because of incorrect digitizing or where the boundary appears in the incorrect location 

due to other Census Bureau activities.

5.12.3 Including Required Attribute Information

It is important to review each change polygon and confirm that the correct attribute information 

is included. Without the correct attribute information, the Census Bureau will be unable to 

process and incorporate the changes into MAF/TIGER. See Section 5.3 for the required 

attribute information and corresponding change type codes.

5.12.4 Including Appropriate Metadata (Projection Information)

It is important that the appropriate projection information is included. Each update layer 

submitted should contain a *.prj file so that the Census Bureau can convert the projection back 

to GCS_NAD83. If the GIS being used cannot create a *.prj file, include the projection 

information in metadata. This is critical for the Census Bureau to be able to process the file and 

incorporate the updates into MAF/TIGER.

5.12.5 Linear Feature Updates

Please review linear feature changes to ensure that they align with the features currently in 

MAF/TIGER.

If linear feature changes do not align with current MAF/TIGER linear features, the Census 

Bureau may not incorporate the submitted updates. 

Figure 17. New Road Features, Not Added to Existing Road

Figure 18. New Road Features, Correctly Added

The image on the left (Figure 18) shows new road features added to the 

existing feature network, but do not connect to existing road features. The 

image on the right (Figure 19) shows the correction; connecting the new 

roads to the existing road features.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 24

5.13 Additional Review Information

The Census Bureau will not make any boundary change that affects adjacent legal entities 

without the appropriate documentation. Review any change polygons that affect adjacent 

entities to determine if they are intentional, legal changes.

Note: The Census Bureau will snap any addition, deletion, or boundary correction to a 

MAF/TIGER feature when it exists within thirty feet of that feature. This helps maintain 

the boundary-to-feature relationships in MAF/TIGER and will ensure correct housing 

tabulation counts for entities.

5.13.1 Submitting Acceptable Documentation

The Census Bureau is responsible for depicting reservation and off-reservation trust land 

boundaries but because the Census Bureau is not the authority on the boundaries, we require 

documentation to update reservation and off-reservation trust land boundaries.

The following changes require documentation:

 New off-reservation trust land;

 New reservation land;

 Changes from off-reservation trust land to reservation land and changes from reservation land to 

off-reservation trust land;

 Large changes to existing off-reservation trust land;

 Large changes to existing reservation land; and

 Boundary corrections to off-reservation trust land or reservation land that do not follow the 

general shape of the boundary.

For off-reservation trust land, the most common documentation is a trust deed or a letter from 

the BIA. Documents should state that the land is “in trust” for your tribe.

For reservation land, documentation examples include (but are not limited to) federal register 

notice, Act of Congress, Executive Order, or a new legal opinion issued by the BIA. When 

submitting large boundary corrections to an existing reservation, please submit your reservation 

document.

If you cannot locate your documentation, you can contact your regional BIA office to obtain 

documentation. The Census Bureau will treat legal opinions issued in writing from the BIA as 

documentation since the BIA is the authority on reservation and off-reservation trust land 

boundaries. If the Census Bureau cannot interpret a document, such as a treaty, the Census 

Bureau will contact the BIA for assistance. 

If you have questions about documentation, please call the Census Bureau at 

1-800-972-5651 or email geo.bas@census.gov. If you need to contact the BIA, please see 

<http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/RegionalOffices/index.htm> for contact information for your 

regional office.

5.13.2 Submitting Digital Data

If a participant is reporting changes to the BAS, the Census Bureau requires that each 

participant submit at least one shapefile (change polygons). The total number of layers 
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submitted depends on what types of changes are reported. The following is a list of change 

layers that may need to be submitted:

1. Change Polygon Layers (ANRC, AIA, Tribal Subdivisions, Hawaiian Homelands)

 These layers consist of the changes that the Census Bureau needs to make to entities; and

 A layer of change polygons should be created for each level of geography (ANRC, AIA, Tribal 

Subdivisions, etc.) that changes are being submitted for.

2. Whole Modified Entity Layer (ANRC, AIA, Tribal Subdivisions, and Hawaiian Homelands)

 These layers should only contain the complete and current boundary for the entity being 

updated; and

 A whole entity layer should be created for each level of geography that change polygons are 

being created for.

3. Local Government Feature Network and Boundary Layers (optional)

 These layers will help the Census Bureau resolve any questionable change polygons and 

establish the correct boundary-to-feature relationships.

4. Feature Update Layer (only if there are feature (road, river, railroad, etc.) additions, deletions, 

name changes, recodes, or address range updates)

 Include a linear feature update layer with only feature segments that need to be corrected.

5. Area/Hydro Landmark Layer 

 Only if there are area and/or hydro landmark updates.

6. Point Landmark Layer

 Only if there are point landmark updates. 

7. BAS Contact Text File (if the BAS point of contact (the person that receives the BAS Annual 

Response Email) has changed);

 This can be updated online at:

http://www.census.gov/geo/partnerships/bas/bas_ar_form.html.

 This BAS Contact update should include this information:

o First Name;

o Last Name;

o Department;

o Position;

o Shipping Address;

o City;

o State;

o ZIP Code;

o Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx;
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 26

o FAX: xxx-xxx-xxxx;

o Email;

o Tribal Chair Term Expires: xx/xxxx; and

o Tribal Chair Term Length: x years.

5.13.3 Change Polygon Naming Conventions

The following table provides change polygon naming conventions for ANRCs, AIAs and 

Hawaiian Homelands. The change polygon layer naming conventions: <basID> represents your

BAS entity ID, found in the BAS Annual Response email or online from this link: 

<https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/technical-documentation/code-lists.html>.

Table 13: Change Polygon Naming Conventions

Participant Changes Submitted For Shapefile Naming Conventions

AIA AIA bas18_<basID>_changes_aiannh

AIA Tribal Subdivisions bas18_<basID>_changes_tribalsub

ANRC ANRC bas18_<basID>_changes_anrc

Hawaiian Homelands Hawaiian Homelands bas18_<basID>_changes_hhl

5.13.4 Whole Entity Polygon Naming Conventions

The following table provides the whole entity polygon naming conventions for ANRCs, AIAs and 

Hawaiian Homelands. The whole entity polygon layer naming conventions: <basID> represents 

your BAS entity ID, found on the BAS Annual Response email or online from this link: 

<https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/technical-documentation/code-lists.html>.

Table 14: Whole Entity Polygon Naming Conventions.

Participant: Changes Submitted For Shapefile Naming Conventions

AIA AIA bas18_<basID>_WholeEntity_aiannh

AIA Tribal Subdivision bas18_<basID>_WholeEntity_trialsub

ANRC ANRC bas18_<basID>_WholeEntity_anrc

Hawaiian Homelands Hawaiian Homelands bas18_<basID>_WholeEntity_hhl

5.13.5 Linear Feature, Area Landmark/Hydro Area, and Point Landmark 

Updates (Not Required).

The following table provides the update layer naming conventions for the edges, area landmark, 

and point landmark update layers. The naming conventions for the edges, area landmark, and 

point landmark update layers: <basID> represents your BAS entity ID, found on the BAS Annual 

Response email or online from this link: <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas/technical-documentation/code-lists.html>.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 27

Table 15: Optional Files

Participant: Changes Submitted For Shapefile Naming Conventions

All Participants Edges bas18_<basID>_LN_Changes

All Participants Area / Hydro Landmarks bas18_<basID>_Alndk_Changes

All Participants Point Landmarks bas18_<basID>_Plndk_Changes

5.13.6 Compressing the Digital Files

The SWIM requires all BAS returns to be zipped prior to submission. Please compress 

ALL update materials (including change polygon shapefiles, whole entity shapefiles, 

linear feature updates, landmark updates, local government feature network and 

boundary layers, any necessary supporting documentation (e.g., trust deeds), and the 

text or other file with your updated BAS contact information). 

1. Navigate to the directory with the shapefiles.

Note: Centerline files or any additional information that may be helpful for the Census Bureau 

to process your file is optional. One example where this would be helpful is if a particular 

polygon was not snapped to a river or road because the boundary does not follow the 

river or road.

2. Select all files and right click on the selection.

3. Select WinZip, and then Add to Zip file.

Figure 19. Selecting and Zipping Return Files
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Note: Versions of WinZip may vary so the interface may be slightly different. Software other 

than WinZip may be used to zip the return files.

In the Add window, in the Add to archive field, type the filename in the proper naming 

convention: bas<yy>_<basID>_return and then click Add.

Note: Look for the basID number on the BAS Annual Response email or online from this link: 

<https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/technical-documentation/codelists.html>.

Figure 20. Naming the Zip File

Check the folder where the zip file was saved to verify that it was created properly. If so, the 

return file is ready for submission. 

Note: If assistance is needed with preparing or zipping the BAS return files, contact the Census 

Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or geo.bas@census.gov.

5.13.7 Submitting Digital Files via SWIM

The Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) is a one-stop location for submitting your geographic 

program files to the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau now requires that all BAS participants 

use the Census Bureau’s SWIM for submitting update materials.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 29

Do not send your submission as an email attachment, as we cannot accept them due to the 

security policy at the Census Bureau. 

The Census Bureau will email the BAS contact a SWIM registration token and digital 

submission instructions five days after the BAS contact responds to the BAS Annual Response 

indicating that they have changes to report. To respond online, please fill out the online form at 

<http://www.census.gov/geo/partnerships/bas/bas_ar_form.html>. The five-day waiting period 

will give the Census Bureau staff time to update the BAS contact record if necessary so that the 

email reaches the right person.

This token is good for one personal account within the SWIM. Once you have registered for an 

account in SWIM, you will no longer need the token to login into the system. If you require 

additional individual SWIM accounts within your organization, please contact the Census 

Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or email geo.bas@census.gov.

At this time, the SWIM only accepts ZIP files. Please zip all your update materials (e.g., spatial 

updates and other relevant update documents) into one ZIP file for your entity’s submission, and 

follow the instructions listed below:

1. In a web browser, go to <https://respond.census.gov/swim>.

2. Login:

a) New Users: You must have a registration token to create a new account. (Please see 

above). Once you have your token, please sign-up by clicking the ‘Register Account’ button.

Registration is self-serve, but does require the new user to enter a registration token to 

validate their rights to the system.

b) Existing Users: If you already have a registered SWIM account, please login with your user 

credentials.

Current SWIM Users

If you are a participant in another Census Bureau partnership program, or participated in a previous 

BAS year, and already have a SWIM account, you may use your current account to submit files for the 

BAS. You do not need to set up a new account.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 30

Figure 21. SWIM Account Registration

Figure 22. SWIM Login Window.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 31

3. If you have submitted files before, the SWIM lists them on the startup screen upon login. Click 

'Start New Upload' to continue.

Figure 23. Welcome Screen with Upload History

4. On the next screen, select the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) option as the geographic 

partnership program, and click ‘Next’ to continue.

Figure 24. Geographic Partnership Program Selection Window
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 32

5. On this screen, you will select a geographic level. This is the geography type of your agency. 

Select ‘Tribal Area’. Click 'Next' to continue.

Figure 25. Geographic Level Selection Window

6. Use the drop-down selectors to find the name of your geographic entity. These options 

dynamically update based on the geography type selected from the previous screen. Click ‘Next’ 

to continue.

Figure 26. Geographic Entity Selection Window
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 33

7. On the file upload screen, please click on the ‘+ Add file', and a file browser dialog will appear.

Figure 27. File Upload Screen

8. In the file browser dialog box, select the ZIP file you would like to upload. Please be aware that 

the SWIM Web site only accepts ZIP files. Click 'Open' to continue.

Figure 28. File Browser Dialog Box
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 34

9. At this time, you may enter any comments that you wish to include with your file. Click 'Next' to 

upload your submission.

Figure 29. Entering Comments into the File Upload Window

10. The final screen will be a ‘Thank You’ screen confirming receipt of your file submission. If you do 

not see this screen, or you encounter any issues during this upload process, please contact the 

Census Bureau.

Figure 30. Thank You Screen
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page 35

5.13.8 Additional Information

The Census Bureau recommends using Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)

codes to identify entities such as counties, AIAs, etc. Using a standard coding scheme facilitates 

the digital exchange of data.

The Census Bureau includes these codes in the BAS shapefiles. Online, you can find the codes 

at <http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/download_data.htm>. If there are any questions or

problems, contact the Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or geo.bas@census.gov.

Due to limited staff, the Census Bureau may not be able to make all updates this year. The 

Census Bureau will prioritize updates in the following order: legal changes, boundary 

corrections, linear feature changes, and landmark changes. The earlier the Census Bureau 

receives a submission, the greater the chance that the Census Bureau will be able to make all 

of the updates. Only submit changes that occurred on or before January 1, 2018. The Census 

Bureau will not be able to make any updates effective after this date until next year’s BAS.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: Paper Page 36

APPENDICES
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: Paper Page A-1

APPENDIX A. DATA DICTIONARY

Table 16: Alaska Native Regional Corporation (ANRC) Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS County Code

ANRCFP 5 String FIPS ANRC Code

ANRCCE 2 String Current Census ANRC Code

NAMELSAD 100 String Name with Translated LSAD

LSAD 2 String Legal / Statistical Area Description

AIANNHNS 8 String ANSI Numeric Identifier for AIANNH Areas

FUNCSTAT 1 String Functional Status

CLASSFP 2 String FIPS 55 Class Code Describing an Entity

PARTFLG 1 String Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective Date

AUTHTYPE 1 String Authorization Type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L – Local 

Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU 120 String Supporting Documentation

RECORD_ID 4 String (GUPS Only)

AREA 10 Double Acreage of Area Update

RELATE 120 String Relationship Description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of Change

NAME 100 String ANRC name

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage of the Data
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page A-2

Table 17: American Indian Areas - Legal (AIAL) Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS County Code

AIANNHCE 4 String Census AIANNH Code

COMPTYP 1 String Indicates if Reservation, Trust Land, or both are Present

AIANNHFSR 1 String Flag Indicating Level of Recognition of an AIA

NAMELSAD 100 String Name with Translated LSAD

AIANNHNS 8 String ANSI numeric identifier for AIA areas

LSAD 2 String Legal / Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT 1 String Functional Status

CLASSFP 2 String FIPS 55 Class Code Describing an Entity

PARTFLG 1 String Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of Area Update

AUTHTYPE 1 String Authorization Type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L – Local 

Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective Date

DOCU 120 String Supporting Documentation

RECORD_ID 4 String (GUPS Only)

AREA 10 Double Acreage of Area Update

RELATE 120 String Relationship Description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of Change

NAME 100 String AIA name

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage of the Data
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page A-3

Table 18: American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD

LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS County Code

AIANNHCE 4 String Census AIANNH Code

TRIBALSUBCE 3 String Census Tribal Subdivision Code

NAMELSAD 100 String Name with translated LSAD

AIANNHNS 8 String ANSI Numeric Identifier for AIANNH Areas

LSAD 2 String Legal / Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT 1 String Functional Status

CLASSFP 2 String FIPS 55 Class Code Describing an Entity

PARTFLG 1 String Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective Date

AUTHTYPE 1 String Authorization Type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L – Local 

Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU 120 String Supporting Documentation

RECORD_ID 4 String (GUPS Only)

AREA 10 Double Acreage of Area Update

RELATE 120 String Relationship Description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of Change

NAME 100 String Tribal subdivision name

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage of the Data

AIANNHFSR 1 String Flag Indicating Level of Recognition of an AIA
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page A-4

Table 19: Edges Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS state code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS county code

TLID 10 Double Permanent edge ID

TFIDL 10 Double Permanent face ID (left)

TFIDR 10 Double Permanent face ID (right)

MTFCC 5 String MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FIDELITY 1 String Indication to a respondent when their entity boundary has 

changed through spatial enhancement

FULLNAME 40 String Decoded feature name with abbreviated qualifier, direction, 

and feature type

SMID 22 String Spatial Theta ID

SMIDTYPE 1 String SMIDTYPE code

BBSPFLG 1 String Redistricting data project participant’s submitted request of an 

EDGE for selection as a block boundary

CBBFLG 1 String Indicates the status of an EDGE for a selection as a block 

boundary

BBSP_2020 1 String New BBSP flag

CHNG_TYPE 4 String Type of linear feature update

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change

LTOADD 10 String Left To address

RTOADD 10 String Right To address

LFROMADD 10 String Left From address

RFROMADD 10 String Right From address

ZIPL 5 String Left zip code

ZIPR 5 String Right zip code

EXTTYP 1 Char Extension type

MTUPDATE 10 Date Date of last update to the edge
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page A-5

Table 20: Area Landmark Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS County Code

MTFCC 5 String MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME 120 String Area landmark name

PARTFLG 1 String Indicates if only part of a feature is represented

AREAID 22 String Object ID

ANSICODE 8 String ANSI code for area landmarks

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of area landmark update

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective date or vintage

RELATE 120 String Relationship description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change

BAG 3 String Block area grouping

Table 21: Hydro Area Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS state code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS county code

ANSICODE 8 String ANSI code for hydrography area

MTFCC 5 String MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME 120 String Hydro landmark name

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of hydro area update

HYDROID 22 String Object ID

RELATE 120 String Relationship description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page A-6

Table 22: Point Landmark Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS state code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS county code

POINTID 22 String Object ID

ANSICODE 8 String ANSI code for point landmarks

MTFCC 5 String MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME 120 String Point landmark name

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of point landmark update

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change

Table 23: Geographic Offset Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

TFID 20 Integer Permanent Face ID

STATEFP 2 String FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS County Code

OFFSET 1 String Geographic Offset / Corridor Flag

ADDEXCLUDE 1 String Address Exclusion Indicator

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of area update

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective date or vintage

RELATE 120 String Relationship description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-1

APPENDIX B. 2018 DIGITAL BAS – EXAMPLE PROCESS 1

The Census Bureau suggests that participants make an extra copy of the data as an emergency 

backup.

B.1 Required Census Bureau Shapefiles

When downloading shapefiles for the 2018 BAS, shapefiles will begin with the prefix PVS 

(e.g., PVS_17_v2_edges_<ssccc>.shp). Throughout this guide, Census Bureau uses the 

prefix of bas_2018, but the PVS files are exactly the same.

Note: Contact the Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or geo.aiana@census.gov with any 

questions.

Copy the data to a hard drive/server, and unzip the data to ensure that the correct data was 

downloaded. For an AIA, these layers are critical:

 PVS_17_v2_aial_<ssccc>.shp

 PVS_17_v2_edges_<ssccc>.shp

Note: <ssccc> represents the two-digit state code and three-digit county code.

The shapefiles should include the home county/counties for all reservations and off-reservation 

trust lands as well as all adjacent counties.

B.2 Symbolizing Layers in ArcGIS

The following are suggestions for symbolizing Census Bureau data in ArcGIS. For the Edges 

layer, symbolize the linear features by grouping like MTFCC codes (codes sharing the same 

first character). See Table 24.

Table 24: Suggested MTFCC Symbolization

MTFCC 1st Character Linear Feature Type Symbol

H Hydrology

P Non-Visible Feature (boundary)

R Railroad

S Road
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-2

Symbolizing Geographic Areas

Symbolize the AIAL layer by “COMPTYP” field to show reservation and off-reservation trust 

land.

Note: AIA participants working on changes for tribal subdivisions may want to use different 

colors to distinguish one from another.

Figure 31. Suggested Map Symbolization

B.3 Extracting AIA Data from Census Bureau Shapefiles

Note: If you do not have ArcGIS Advanced, skip ahead to Section B.4.

Filtering the Data

1. In ArcMap, click Selection and then click Select by Attributes.

2. In the Select By Attributes window:

 From the Layer dropdown, select PVS_2018_v2_aial_<ssccc>.shp.

 Double click “NAME”

 Left click the = button,
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-3

 Click the Get Unique Values button

 In the list, locate and double click the name of the entity (it will appear in the formula).

 Click OK

Figure 32. Filtering Data

Exporting the Data to a New Shapefile

1. In the Table of Contents, right click the AIA layer, select Data, and then click Export Data.

2. In the Export Data window:

 From the Export dropdown, choose Selected Features.

 In the Output shapefile or feature class field, enter a location to save the shapefile.

 Click OK.

Figure 33. Export Data Window
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-4

Note: If the AIA spans more than one county, it will need to be exported from each county’s 

AIA shapefile and merged. Follow the instructions in Section B.4if the AIA needs to be 

merged, otherwise skip to Section B.5.

Merging Multipart AIA Data

1. In ArcToolbox, double-click Data Management Tools, then double-click General, and then

double-click Merge.

2. In the Merge window:

 Next to the Input Datasets Input field, click the arrow and select each layer. (Or use the

Browse button to the right of the field to find the layers.)

 In the Output Dataset field, browse to and select a location to save the shapefile.

o Name the shapefile Export_Output_Final or Merged, or anything easy to

find/remember.

3. Click OK.

Figure 34. Finalizing the Merge Process

B.4 Creating Change Polygons Using Symmetrical Difference

Note: If you do not have an ArcInfo license, you will have to use the Union operation rather 

than the Symmetrical Difference operation. See Section 0 if this is the case.

1. In ArcToolbox, double-click Analysis Tools, then double-click Overlay, and then double-click

Symmetrical Difference.

2. In the Symmetrical Difference window:

 In the Input Features field, click the arrow (or browse) and select the layer that was created

in Section 3.

 In the Update Features field, click the arrow (or browse) and select the tribal government

boundary layer (your data).

 In the Output Feature Class field, browse to and select a location to save the shapefile.

o Name the shapefile Differences_between_BAS_tribal, Differences1, or anything easy

to find/remember.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-5

3. Click OK.

Figure 35. Finalizing the Symmetrical Difference Process

Note: This process creates a layer that contains all of the differences between Census Bureau 

and local boundaries. However, the Symmetrical Difference tool creates multipart 

polygons that need to be broken up and individually coded.

4. Turn on Editing (using the Editing dropdown in the Editor toolbar). Select all of the records in the

layer that was created in the Symmetrical Difference step.

5. On the Advanced Editing toolbar, click the Explode tool . The layer will now contain a 

separate record for each change.

The created layer shows individual change polygons representing the differences 

between the Census Bureau and tribal entity boundaries. These differences need to be 

reviewed and coded appropriately.

Skip to B.7 Renaming and Finalizing Change Polygons.

B.5 Creating Change Polygons Using Union

Note: Use this method if you do not have an ArcInfo license.

1. In ArcToolbox, double-click Analysis Tools, then double-click Overlay, and then double-click

Union.

2. In the Union window:

 In the Input Features field, click the arrow (or browse) and select

PVS_17_v2_aial_<ssccc>, and the tribe’s own layer.

 In the Output Feature Class, browse to and select a location to save the shapefile.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-6

o Name the shapefile Export_Output_union, or Union, or anything easy to

find/remember.

 Click OK.

Figure 36. Finalizing the Union Process

The union operation will create records that contain differences as well as areas that are in 

common between the Census Bureau and local tribal boundary layers.

The next step is selecting and deleting the areas in common between the Census Bureau and 

local tribal boundary layers.

3. On the Editor toolbar, click Editor, and then click Start Editing.

4. If a Start Editing window opens, in the top pane, click to highlight the union shapefile, and then

click OK.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-7

Figure 37. Locating the Union Shapefile

5. In ArcMap, in the Tools toolbar, click the Select Features button.

 Locate features on the map that the Census Bureau and the local tribal layers have in

common.

 Select each feature individually, or click and hold the left mouse button and drag a box to

highlight the common features.

 Press Delete.

 Repeat these steps until only the features that have changed are left in the map.

6. Once all of the areas in common have been removed from the union shapefile, on the Editor

toolbar, click Editor, and then click Save Edits.

7. Select all of the remaining records in the layer that was created in the Union step.

8. On the Advanced Editing toolbar, click the Explode tool . The layer will now contain a 

separate record for each change.

The new layer shows individual change polygons representing the differences between the 

Census Bureau and the tribal government’s representation of the boundaries. Please review 

these differences and make sure they are coded appropriately. Continue to the next section for 

instructions on reviewing and coding change polygons.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-8

B.6 Reviewing and Attributing Change Polygons

After the individual change polygons have been created, each must be reviewed and 

appropriately coded. When reviewing the polygons, please refer to Section 5.3 in the main part 

of this guide to look for polygons that should be deleted from your submission as well as those 

that should be snapped to nearby visible features to maintain boundary-to-feature relationships.

Examples

These examples show very small sliver polygons that should be deleted during review as they 

eliminate boundary-to-feature relationships with a river (left) and a road (right). Furthermore, 

these boundary corrections also are not located near legal changes or corridor/offset changes 

(type ‘A’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘F’), so they should be removed from consideration.

Figure 38. Small Slivers That Should Be Deleted

These examples show polygons that should be snapped to roads (left) or 

rivers (right).

Figure 39. Polygons That Should Be Snapped to Roads or Rivers
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-9

Attribute Information

Note: All updates MUST be attributed.

To begin updating attributes

 On the Editor Toolbar, click Editor, and then click Start Editing.

Additions

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the addition polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for an addition.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, AUTHTYPE, DOCU and EFF_DATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for an addition is A.

Deletions

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the deletion polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for a deletion.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, AUTHTYPE, DOCU and EFF_DATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for a deletion is D.

Corridors

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the corridor polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for a corridor.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, RELATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for a corridor changes is C.

o In the RELATE field, enter IN if the change is adding corridor area to the place or OUT if

the change is removing corridor area.

Offsets

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the offset polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for an offset.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, RELATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for an offset change is F.

o In the RELATE field, enter IN if the change is adding offset area to the place or OUT if

the change is removing offset area.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page B-10

Boundary Corrections

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the boundary correction 

polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for a boundary correction:

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, RELATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for a boundary correction is B.

o In the RELATE field, enter IN if the boundary correction is adding area or OUT if the

boundary correction is removing area.

Note: If a boundary correction to one tribal subdivision affects another, use RELATE = IN and 

NAME = <entity being added to>. This is due to the fact that RELATE = OUT leaves a 

question as to whether or not there should be a gap between the two entities.

To finish updating attributes

 Once all of the attribute changes have been made, in the ArcMap menu, click Editor, and

then click Stop Editing. (In the Save window, click Yes.)

B.7 Renaming and Finalizing Change Polygons

Renaming the shapefile

After creating and coding all change polygons, please rename the change polygon layer 

prior to its submission to the Census Bureau. You must complete this process for each level 

of geography (AIA, tribal subdivision) that has changes.

1. In ArcMap, open the ArcCatalog tab.

2. In ArcCatalog, navigate to shapefile, right-click and select Rename.

3. Save the output shapefile in the proper naming convention: bas18_<basID>_changes_aiannh.

Note: You can find the basID numbers in the BAS Annual Response Email or online from this 

link: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/technical-documentation/codelists.html>.

Note: See Section5.13.6 for instructions on zipping updates.

Submitting the shapefile

The Census Bureau requires participants submit BAS return zip files using the Census 

Bureau’s SWIM site. Please submit only the zip file. The SWIM is located at 

<https://respond.census.gov/swim>. For instructions on how to use SWIM, refer to 

Section 5.13.7 Submitting Digital Files via SWIM.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-1

APPENDIX C. 2018 DIGITAL BAS EXAMPLE PROCESS 2

The Census Bureau suggests that participants make an extra copy of the data as an emergency 

backup.

C.1 Required Census Bureau Shapefiles

 When downloading shapefiles for the 2018 BAS, shapefiles will begin with the prefix PVS

(e.g., PVS_17_v2_edges_<ssccc>.shp).

 Throughout this guide, Census Bureau uses the prefix of bas_2018, but the PVS files are exactly

the same.

Note: Contact the Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or geo.bas@census.gov with any 

questions.

Copy the data to a hard drive/server, and unzip the data to ensure that the correct data was 

downloaded. For an AIA, these layers are critical:

 PVS_17_v2_aial_<ssccc>.shp

 PVS_17_v2_edges_<ssccc>.shp

Note: <ssccc> represents the two-digit state code and three-digit county code.

The shapefiles should include the home county/counties for all of your reservation and offreservation trust lands as well as all adjacent counties.

C.2 Symbolizing Layers in ArcGIS

The following are suggestions for symbolizing Census Bureau data in ArcGIS. For the Edges 

layer, symbolize the linear features by grouping like MTFCC codes (codes sharing the same 

first character).

Table 25: Edges MTFCC Suggested Symbolization

MTFCC 1st Character Linear Feature Type Symbol

H Hydrology

P Non-Visible Feature (boundary)

R Railroad

S Road
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-2

Symbolizing Geographic Areas

Symbolize the AIAL layer by “COMPTYP” field to show reservation and off-reservation trust 

land.

Note: AIA participants reporting tribal subdivisions may want to use different colors to 

distinguish one from another.

Figure 40. Suggested Map Symbolization.

C.3 Creating and Splitting Linear Features

Creating New Linear Features

Some of the linear features needed to create change polygons may not exist in MAF/TIGER. It 

may be necessary to create and split lines when forming changes. The existing and newly 

created linear features will then be selected to define the boundary changes.

1. In ArcMap, right click the edges layer in the Table of Contents, click Selection, and then click

Make This The Only Selectable Layer, so that the edges layer is the only one which can be

selected while editing.

2. In the Editor toolbar, click Editor and then click Start Editing.

3. In the Create Features window, highlight a non-visible boundary symbolization under the edges

layer: PVS_17_v2_edges_<ssccc>.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-3

Figure 41. Create Features Window.

4. In the Editor toolbar, click Editor and then click Snapping, then Snapping Toolbar.

5. On the snapping toolbar, ensure that Point, Vertex, Edge, and End Snapping are all enabled.

Drop down the Snapping menu, and ensure that Use Snapping is checked. Snapping will ensure

that newly created lines will follow existing MAF/TIGER linear features.

Figure 42. Snapping Toolbar.

6. For any new boundary lines that do not follow existing edges, ensure that Line is selected in the

Construction Tools pane (see Figure 41), and in the Editor toolbar, click the Straight Segment

Tool button and draw new features on the map by clicking to create a line. Single clicking

will add vertexes to the line, and double-clicking will end the line and create the new feature. Any

new feature(s) will be highlighted.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-4

Figure 43. A Newly Created Linear Feature.

Adding Attribute Data to New Linear Features

After creating new linear features: 

1. In the Editor toolbar, click the Attributes button.

2. In the Attributes window, in the MTFCC field, add the appropriate MTFCC code (it should default

to P0001, but can be changed if necessary).

 Use P0001 if the feature is a non-visible political boundary.

 If the feature is visible, see Appendix D for the appropriate codes.

Note: Each new feature must have an MTFCC code. If larger scale linear feature changes are 

going to be submitted, it is best to create those in a separate layer. It is not necessary to 

submit linear feature changes for non-visible boundaries.

Note: Click on Editor and then click Save Edits often so that work is not lost. 

3. Once all lines are added, in the Editor toolbar, click Editor and then click Stop Editing (in the

Save window, click Yes).

Splitting Linear Features

1. In the Editor toolbar, click Editor and then click Start Editing.

2. In the Editor toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select a linear feature that needs to be 

split. The line will be highlighted when it is selected.

3. In the Editor toolbar, click the Split Tool button. Click the line where it needs to be split. The

following examples display why it may be necessary to split lines when creating change polygons.

The desired boundary change is indicated below. When selecting the lines to form the boundary 

change, sections of the linear features that are not a part of the boundary update are included 

(highlighted in blue).
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-5

Figure 44. Linear Feature Selection Before Being Split

The existing linear features can be split to prevent unwanted line segments from being selected 

as part of the boundary update.

Figure 45. Linear Feature Selection After Being Split

4. Once all necessary splits are made, in the Editor toolbar, click Editor and then click Save Edits.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-6

Selecting Lines and Creating Change Polygons

After creating and/ or splitting any necessary linear features, select those that will be used to 

form change polygons. Each change polygon must be created and coded separately.

Creating change polygons

1. If the Topology toolbar is not active, click the Customize menu, select Toolbars, and then select

Topology to activate it.

2. In the Editor toolbar, click Editor and then click Start Editing.

3. In the Create Features window, switch the highlighted feature to the aia layer:

PVS_17_v2_aial_<ssccc>.

4. In the Editor toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the linear features that comprise 

the boundary of a change polygon (i.e. an addition, deletion, or incorrect area) by holding the

Shift key while clicking each linear feature segment.

Figure 46. Selecting the Linear Features of a Change Polygon

5. On the Topology toolbar, click the Construct Features button.

 In the Construct Features dialog box, click OK (the default Cluster Tolerance is

acceptable).

The polygon is now part of the AIA layer; however, it will not have any associated attribute 

values (see the next section). 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-7

Figure 47. Newly Created AIA Feature

Attributing Change Polygons

After creating the change polygons, each must be correctly attributed so that the boundaries 

can be appropriately updated in MAF/TIGER. Another option is to update the attributes for each 

change polygon after creating all boundary changes. The following steps will explain which 

attributes are mandated for each type of boundary change.

Note: All updates MUST be attributed.

To begin updating attributes

 In ArcMap, right click the AIA layer in the Table of Contents, click Selection, and then click

Make This The Only Selectable Layer, so that the AIA layer is the only one which can be

selected while editing

 On the Editor Toolbar, click Editor, and then click Start Editing.

Additions

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the addition polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for an addition.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, AUTHTYPE, DOCU and EFF_DATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for an addition is A.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-8

Deletions

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the deletion polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for a deletion.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, AUTHTYPE, DOCU and EFF_DATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for an addition is D.

Corridors

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the corridor polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for a corridor.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, RELATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for a corridor changes is C.

o In the RELATE field, enter IN if the change is adding corridor area to the place or OUT if

the change is removing corridor area.

Offsets

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the offset polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for an offset.

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, RELATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for an offset change is F.

o In the RELATE field, enter IN if the change is adding offset area to the place or OUT if

the change is removing offset area.

Boundary Corrections

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool button and select the boundary correction 

polygon.

 On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes button.

 In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for a boundary correction:

o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, RELATE.

o The CHNG_TYPE for a boundary correction is B.

o In the RELATE field, enter IN if the boundary correction is adding area or OUT if the

boundary correction is removing area.

Note: If a boundary correction to one tribal subdivision affects another, use RELATE = IN and 

NAME = <entity being added to>. This is due to the fact that RELATE = OUT leaves a 

question as to whether or not there should be a gap between the two entities.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-9

To finish updating attributes

Once all of the attribute changes have been made, on the Editor toolbar, click Editor, and 

then click Stop Editing (in the Save window, click Yes).

Exporting Change Polygons

After creating and coding the change polygons, each level of geography (AIA, tribal subdivision) 

that has changes must be exported to a separate change polygon layer.

1. In ArcMap, click Selection and then click Select by Attributes.

2. In the Select By Attributes window:

 Set the Layer dropdown to the AIA layer: bas_2018_aial_<ssccc>.

 Set the Method dropdown to Create a new selection.

 In the Select * FROM box, type one of the following formulas:

o “CHNG_TYPE” < > ‘ ’ This equation would select all change polygons that have any

change type which have been created and coded.

o “CHNG_TYPE” = ‘A’ OR “CHNG_TYPE” = ‘B’ OR... (etc.) This equation can be written

to select a specific change type for polygons that were created and coded.

 Click OK.

Figure 48. Select All Change Types Formula

After clicking OK, each change polygon that that has been created and coded should be 

highlighted on the map and in the attribute table.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page C-10

Optional: Open the attribute table and sort to verify that all change polygons with a change 

type code were selected.

Exporting the selected change polygons

1. In the ArcMap Table of Contents, right-click on the AIA layer (PVS_17_v2_aial_<ssccc>), select

Data, and then click Export Data.

2. In the Export Data window:

 From the Export dropdown, choose Selected Features.

 In the Output shapefile or feature class: field, browse to and select a location to save the

shapefile.

o Name the shapefile bas18_<basID>_changes_aiannh.shp.

 Click OK.

Figure 49. Exporting Data.

Note: The basID number can be found on the BAS Annual Response email or online from this 

link: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/technical-documentation/codelists.html>.

Note: See Section 5.13.6 for instructions on zipping updates.

Submitting the shapefile

The Census Bureau requires participants submit BAS return zip files using the Census 

Bureau’s SWIM site. Please submit only the zip file. The SWIM is located at 

<https://respond.census.gov/swim>. For instructions on how to use SWIM, you can find 

them in Section 5.12.2 and Section 5.12.4 Submitting Digital Files via the Secure Web 

Incoming Module (SWIM).
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-1

APPENDIX D. MTFCC DESCRIPTIONS–COMPLETE LIST

The MAF/TIGER Feature Classification Code (MTFCC) is a 5-digit code assigned by the 

Census Bureau to classify and describe geographic objects or features in Census Bureau 

MAF/TIGER products.

Table 26: MTFCC List

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

C3022 Mountain Peak or 

Summit

A prominent elevation rising above the surrounding level of the 

Earth’s surface.

C3023 Island An area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low 

wetland [including archipelago, atoll, cay, hammock, hummock, 

isla, isle, key, moku and rock].

C3024 Levee An embankment flanking a stream or other flowing water feature 

to prevent overflow.

C3026 Quarry (not waterfilled), Open Pit Mine 

or Mine

An area from which commercial minerals are or were removed 

from the Earth; not including an oilfield or gas field.

C3027 Dam A barrier built across the course of a stream to impound water 

and/or control water flow.

C3061 Cul-de-sac An expanded paved area at the end of a street used by vehicles 

for turning around. For mapping purposes, the Census Bureau 

maps it only as a point feature.

C3062 Traffic Circle A circular intersection allowing for continuous movement of 

traffic at the meeting of roadways.

C3066 Gate A movable barrier across a road.

C3067 Toll Booth A structure or barrier where a fee is collected for using a road.

C3071 Lookout Tower A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for 

observation.

C3074 Lighthouse Beacon A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for 

transmission of light and possibly sound generally to aid in 

navigation.

C3075 Tank/Tank Farm One or more manmade structures, each higher than its 

diameter, used for liquid (other than water) or gas storage or for 

distribution activities.

C3076 Windmill Farm One or more manmade structures used to generate power from 

the wind.

C3077 Solar Farm One or more manmade structures used to generate power from 

the sun.

C3078 Monument or 

Memorial

A manmade structure to educate, commemorate, or memorialize 

an event, person, or feature.

C3079 Boundary Monument 

Point

A material object placed on or near a boundary line to preserve 

and identify the location of the boundary line on the ground.

C3080 Survey Control Point A point on the ground whose position (horizontal or vertical) is 

known and can be used as a base for additional survey work.

C3081 Locality Point A point that identifies the location and name of an unbounded 

locality (e.g., crossroad, community, populated place or locale).

C3085 Alaska Native Village 

Official Point

A point that serves as the core of an Alaska Native village and is 

used in defining Alaska Native village statistical areas.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-2

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G2100 American Indian Area A legally defined state- or federally recognized reservation 

and/or off-reservation trust land (excludes statistical American 

Indian areas).

G2120 Hawaiian Home Land A legal area held in trust for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

G2130 Alaska Native Village 

Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity that represents the residences, 

permanent and/or seasonal, for Alaska Natives who are 

members of or receiving governmental services from the 

defining legal Alaska Native Village corporation.

G2140 Oklahoma Tribal 

Statistical Area

A statistical entity identified and delineated by the Census 

Bureau in consultation with federally recognized American 

Indian tribes that have no current reservation, but had a former 

reservation in Oklahoma.

G2150 State-designated 

Tribal Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity identified and delineated for the 

Census Bureau by a state-appointed liaison for a staterecognized American Indian tribe that does not currently have a 

reservation and/or lands in trust.

G2160 Tribal Designated 

Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity identified and delineated for the 

Census Bureau by a federally recognized American Indian tribe 

that does not currently have a reservation and/or off-reservation 

trust land.

G2170 American Indian Joint 

Use Area

An area administered jointly and/or claimed by two or more 

American Indian tribes.

G2200 Alaska Native 

Regional Corporation

Corporate entities established to conduct both business and 

nonprofit affairs of Alaska Natives pursuant to the Alaska Native 

Claims Settlement Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-203). There are 

twelve geographically defined ANRCs and they are all within 

and cover most of the State of Alaska (the Annette Island 

Reserve-an American Indian reservation-is excluded from any 

ANRC). The boundaries of ANRCs have been legally 

established.

G2300 Tribal Subdivision Administrative subdivisions of federally recognized American 

Indian reservations, off-reservation trust lands, or Oklahoma 

tribal statistical areas (OTSAs). These entities are internal units 

of self-government or administration that serve social, cultural, 

and/or economic purposes for the American Indians on the 

reservations, off-reservation trust lands, or OTSAs.

G2400 Tribal Census Tract A relatively small and permanent statistical subdivision of a 

federally recognized American Indian reservation and/or offreservation trust land, delineated by American Indian tribal 

participants or the Census Bureau for the purpose of presenting 

demographic data.

G2410 Tribal Block Group A cluster of census blocks within a single tribal census tract 

delineated by American Indian tribal participants or the Census 

Bureau for the purpose of presenting demographic data.

G3100 Combined Statistical 

Area

A grouping of adjacent metropolitan and/or micropolitan 

statistical areas that have a degree of economic and social 

integration, as measured by commuting.

G3110 Metropolitan and 

Micropolitan Statistical 

Area

An area containing a substantial population nucleus together 

with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic 

and social integration with that core, as measured by 

commuting. Defined using whole counties and equivalents.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-3

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G3120 Metropolitan Division A county or grouping of counties that is a subdivision of a 

Metropolitan Statistical Area containing an urbanized area with a 

population of 2.5 million or more.

G3200 Combined New 

England City and 

Town Area

A grouping of adjacent New England city and town areas that 

have a degree of economic and social integration, as measured 

by commuting.

G3210 New England City and 

Town Metropolitan 

and Micropolitan 

Statistical Area

An area containing a substantial population nucleus together 

with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic 

and social integration with that core, as measured by 

commuting. Defined using Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) in New 

England.

G3220 New England City and 

Town Division

A grouping of cities and towns in New England that is a 

subdivision of a New England City and Town Area containing an 

urbanized area with a population of 2.5 million or more.

G3500 Urban Area Densely settled territory that contains at least 2,500 people. The 

subtypes of this feature are Urbanized Area (UA), which 

consists of 50,000 + people and Urban Cluster, which ranges 

between 2,500 and 49,999 people.

G4000 State or Equivalent 

Feature

The primary governmental divisions of the United States. The 

District of Columbia is treated as a statistical equivalent of a 

state for census purposes, as is Puerto Rico.

G4020 County or Equivalent 

Feature

The primary division of a state or state equivalent area. The 

primary divisions of 48 states are termed County, but other 

terms are used such as Borough in Alaska, Parish in Louisiana, 

and Municipio in Puerto Rico. This feature includes independent 

cities, which are incorporated places that are not part of any 

county.

G4040 County Subdivision The primary divisions of counties and equivalent features for the 

reporting of Census Bureau data. The subtypes of this feature 

are Minor Civil Division, Census County Division/Census 

Subarea, and Unorganized Territory. This feature includes 

independent places, which are incorporated places that are not 

part of any county subdivision.

G4050 Estate Estates are subdivisions of the three major islands in the United 

States Virgin Islands (USVI).

G4060 Subbarrio (Subminor 

Civil Division)

Legally defined divisions (subbarrios) of minor civil divisions 

(barrios-pueblo and barrios) in Puerto Rico.

G4110 Incorporated Place A legal entity incorporated under state law to provide generalpurpose governmental services to a concentration of population. 

Incorporated places are generally designated as a city, borough, 

municipality, town, village, or, in a few instances, have no legal 

description.

G4120 Consolidated City An incorporated place that has merged governmentally with a 

county or minor civil division, but one or more of the 

incorporated places continues to function within the 

consolidation. It is a place that contains additional separately 

incorporated places.

G4210 Census Designated 

Place

A statistical area defined for a named concentration of 

population and the statistical counterpart of an incorporated 

place.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-4

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G4300 Economic Census 

Place

The lowest level of geographic area for presentation of some 

types of Economic Census data. It includes incorporated places, 

consolidated cities, census designated places (CDPs), minor 

civil divisions (MCDs) in selected states, and balances of MCDs 

or counties. An incorporated place, CDP, MCD, or balance of 

MCD qualifies as an economic census place if it contains 5,000 

or more residents, or 5,000 or more jobs, according to the most 

current data available.

G5020 Census Tract Relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a County or 

equivalent feature delineated by local participants as part of the 

Census Bureau’s Participant Statistical Areas Program.

G5030 Block Group A cluster of census blocks having the same first digit of their 

four-digit identifying numbers within a Census Tract. For 

example, block group 3 (BG 3) within a Census Tract includes 

all blocks numbered from 3000 to 3999.

G5035 Block Area Grouping A user-defined group of islands forming a single census 

tabulation block. A BAG must: (1) consist of two or more islands, 

(2) have a perimeter entirely over water, (3) not overlap, and (4) 

not cross the boundary of other tabulation geographies, such as 

county or incorporated place boundaries.

G5040 Tabulation Block The lowest-order census defined statistical area. It is an area, 

such as a city block, bounded primarily by physical features but 

sometimes by invisible city or property boundaries. A tabulation 

block boundary does not cross the boundary of any other 

geographic area for which the Census Bureau tabulates data. 

The subtypes of this feature are Count Question Resolution 

(CQR), current, and census.

G5200 Congressional District The 435 areas from which people are elected to the U.S. House 

of Representatives. Additional equivalent features exist for state 

equivalents with nonvoting delegates or no representative. The 

subtypes of this feature are 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, and 

111th Congressional Districts, plus subsequent Congresses.

G5210 State Legislative 

District (Upper 

Chamber

Areas established by a state or equivalent government from 

which members are elected to the upper or unicameral chamber 

of a state governing body. The upper chamber is the senate in a 

bicameral legislature, and the unicameral case is a single house 

legislature (Nebraska).

G5220 State Legislative 

District (Lower 

Chamber)

Areas established by a state or equivalent government from 

which members are elected to the lower chamber of a state 

governing body. The lower chamber is the House of 

Representatives in a bicameral legislature.

G5240 Voting District The generic name for the geographic features, such as 

precincts, wards, and election districts, established by state, 

local, and tribal governments for the purpose of conducting 

elections.

G5400 Elementary School 

District

A geographic area within which officials provide public 

elementary grade-level educational services for residents.

G5410 Secondary School 

District

A geographic area within which officials provide public 

secondary grade-level educational services for residents.

G5420 Unified School District A geographic area within which officials provide public 

educational services for all grade levels for residents.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-5

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G6120 Public-Use Microdata 

Area

A decennial census area with a population of at least 100,000 or 

more persons for which the Census Bureau provides selected 

extracts of household-level data that are screened to protect 

confidentiality.

G6300 Traffic Analysis District An area delineated by Metropolitan Planning Organizations 

(MPOs) and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for 

tabulating journey-to-work and place-of-work data. A Traffic 

Analysis District (TAD) consists of one or more Traffic Analysis 

Zones (TAZs).

G6320 Traffic Analysis Zone An area delineated by Metropolitan Planning Organizations 

(MPOs) and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for 

tabulating journey-to-work and place-of-work data.

G6330 Urban Growth Area An area defined under state authority to manage urbanization 

that the Census Bureau includes in the MAF/TIGER® System in 

agreement with the state.

G6350 ZIP Code Tabulation 

Area (Five-Digit)

An approximate statistical-area representation of a U.S. Postal 

Service (USPS) 5-digit ZIP Code service area.

G6400 Commercial Region For the purpose of presenting economic statistical data, 

municipios in Puerto Rico are grouped into commercial regions.

H1100 Connector A known, but nonspecific, hydrographic connection between two 

nonadjacent water features.

H2025 Swamp/Marsh A poorly drained wetland, fresh or saltwater, wooded or grassy, 

possibly covered with open water [includes bog, cienega, marais 

and pocosin].

H2030 Lake/Pond A standing body of water that is surrounded by land.

H2040 Reservoir An artificially impounded body of water.

H2041 Treatment Pond An artificial body of water built to treat fouled water.

H2051 Bay/Estuary/Gulf/

Sound

A body of water partly surrounded by land [includes arm, bight, 

cove and inlet].

H2053 Ocean/Sea The great body of salt water that covers much of the earth.

H2060 Gravel Pit/Quarry filled 

with water

A body of water in a place or area from which commercial 

minerals were removed from the Earth.

H2081 Glacier A body of ice moving outward and down slope from an area of 

accumulation; an area of relatively permanent snow or ice on 

the top or side of a mountain or mountainous area [includes ice 

field and ice patch].

H3010 Stream/River A natural flowing waterway [includes anabranch, awawa, 

branch, brook, creek, distributary, fork, kill, pup, rio, and run].

H3013 Braided Stream A natural flowing waterway with an intricate network of 

interlacing channels.

H3020 Canal, Ditch or 

Aqueduct

An artificial waterway constructed to transport water, to irrigate 

or drain land, to connect two or more bodies of water, or to 

serve as a waterway for watercraft [includes lateral].

K1225 Crew-of-Vessel 

Location

A point or area in which the population of military or merchant 

marine vessels at sea are assigned, usually being at or near the 

home port pier.

K1231 Hospital/Hospice/

Urgent Care Facility

One or more structures where the sick or injured may receive 

medical or surgical attention [including infirmary].
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-6

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

K1235 Juvenile Institution A facility (correctional and non-correctional) where groups of 

juveniles reside; this includes training schools, detention 

centers, residential treatment centers and orphanages.

K1236 Local Jail or Detention 

Center

One or more structures that serve as a place for the 

confinement of adult persons in lawful detention, administered 

by a local (county, municipal, etc.) government.

K1237 Federal Penitentiary, 

State Prison, or Prison 

Farm

An institution that serves as a place for the confinement of adult 

persons in lawful detention, administered by the federal 

government or a state government.

K1238 Other Correctional 

Institution

One or more structures that serve as a place for the 

confinement of adult persons in lawful detention, not elsewhere 

classified or administered by a government of unknown 

jurisdiction.

K1239 Convent, Monastery, 

Rectory, Other 

Religious Group 

Quarters

One or more structures intended for use as a residence for 

those having a religious vocation.

K1246 Community Center Community Center.

K2110 Military Installation An area owned and/or occupied by the Department of Defense 

for use by a branch of the armed forces (such as the Army, 

Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard), or a state owned 

area for the use of the National Guard.

K2165 Government Center A place used by members of government (either federal, state, 

local, or tribal) for administration and public business.

K2167 Convention Center An exhibition hall or conference center with enough open space 

to host public and private business and social events.

K2180 Park Parkland defined and administered by federal, state, and local 

governments.

K2181 National Park Service 

Land

Area—National parks, National Monuments, and so forth—

under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

K2182 National Forest or 

Other Federal Land

Land under the management and jurisdiction of the federal 

government, specifically including areas designated as National 

Forest, and excluding areas under the jurisdiction of the National 

Park Service.

K2183 Tribal Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of an 

American Indian tribe.

K2184 State Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

state government.

K2185 Regional Park, Forest, 

or Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

regional government.

K2186 County Park, Forest, 

or Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

county government.

K2187 County Subdivision 

Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

minor civil division (town/township) government.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-7

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

K2188 Incorporated Place 

Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

municipal government.

K2189 Private Park, Forest, 

or Recreation Area

A privately owned place or area set aside for recreation or 

preservation of a cultural or natural resource.

K2190 Other Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area 

(quasi-public, 

independent park, 

commission, etc.)

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of 

some other type of government or agency such as an 

independent park authority or commission.

K2191 Post Office An official facility of the U.S. Postal Service used for processing 

and distributing mail and other postal material.

K2193 Fire Department Fire Department.

K2194 Police Station Police Station.

K2195 Library Library.

K2196 City/Town Hall City/Town Hall.

K2400 Transportation 

Terminal

A facility where one or more modes of transportation can be 

accessed by people or for the shipment of goods; examples of 

such a facility include marine terminal, bus station, train station, 

airport and truck warehouse.

K2424 Marina A place where privately owned, light-craft are moored.

K2432 Pier/Dock A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported 

by piles. This platform may provide access to ships and boats, 

or it may be used for recreational purposes.

K2451 Airport or Airfield A manmade facility maintained for the use of aircraft [including 

airstrip, landing field and landing strip].

K2452 Train Station, Trolley 

or Mass Transit Rail 

Station

A place where travelers can board and exit rail transit lines, 

including associated ticketing, freight, and other commercial 

offices.

K2453 Bus Terminal A place where travelers can board and exit mass motor vehicle 

transit, including associated ticketing, freight, and other 

commercial offices.

K2454 Marine Terminal A place where travelers can board and exit water transit or 

where cargo is handled, including associated ticketing, freight, 

and other commercial offices.

K2455 Seaplane Anchorage A place where an airplane equipped with floats for landing on or 

taking off from a body of water can debark and load.

K2456 Airport—Intermodal 

Transportation 

Hub/Terminal

A major air transportation facility where travelers can board and 

exit airplanes and connect with other (i.e. non-air) modes of 

transportation.

K2457 Airport—Statistical 

Representation

The area of an airport adjusted to include whole 2000 census 

blocks used for the delineation of urban areas

K2458 Park and Ride 

Facility/Parking Lot

A place where motorists can park their cars and transfer to other 

modes of transportation.

K2459 Runway/Taxiway A fairly level and usually paved expanse used by airplanes for 

taking off and landing at an airport.

K2460 Helicopter Landing 

Pad

A fairly level and usually paved expanse used by helicopters for 

taking off and landing.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-8

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

K2540 University or College A building or group of buildings used as an institution for postsecondary study, teaching, and learning [including seminary].

K2543 School or Academy A building or group of buildings used as an institution for 

preschool, elementary or secondary study, teaching, and 

learning [including elementary school and high school].

K2545 Museum, Visitor 

Center, Cultural 

Center, or Tourist 

Attraction

An attraction of historical, cultural, educational or other interest 

that provides information or displays artifacts.

K2561 Golf Course A place designed for playing golf.

K2582 Cemetery A place or area for burying the dead [including burying ground 

and memorial garden].

K2586 Zoo A facility in which terrestrial and/or marine animals are confined 

within enclosures and displayed to the public for educational, 

preservation, and research purposes.

K3544 Place of Worship A sanctified place or structure where people gather for religious 

worship; examples include church, synagogue, temple, and 

mosque.

L4010 Pipeline A long tubular conduit or series of pipes, often underground, 

with pumps and valves for flow control, used to transport fluid 

(e.g., crude oil, natural gas), especially over great distances.

L4020 Powerline One or more wires, often on elevated towers, used for 

conducting high-voltage electric power.

L4031 Aerial Tramway/Ski 

Lift

A conveyance that transports passengers or freight in carriers 

suspended from cables and supported by a series of towers.

L4110 Fence Line A man-made barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., 

usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent 

entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.

L4121 Ridge Line The line of highest elevation along a ridge.

L4125 Cliff/Escarpment A very steep or vertical slope [including bluff, crag, head, 

headland, nose, palisades, precipice, promontory, rim and 

rimrock].

L4130 Point-to-Point Line A line defined as beginning at one location point and ending at 

another, both of which are in sight.

L4140 Property/Parcel Line 

(Including PLSS)

This feature class may denote a nonvisible boundary of either 

public or private lands (e.g., a park boundary) or it may denote a 

Public Land Survey System or equivalent survey line.

L4150 Coastline The line that separates either land or Inland water from Coastal, 

Territorial or Great Lakes water. Where land directly borders 

Coastal, Territorial or Great Lakes water, the shoreline 

represents the Coastline. Where Inland water (such as a river) 

flows into Coastal, Territorial or Great Lakes water, the closure 

line separating the Inland water from the other class of water 

represents the Coastline.

L4165 Ferry Crossing The route used to carry or convey people or cargo back and 

forth over a waterbody in a boat.

P0001 Nonvisible Linear 

Legal/Statistical 

Boundary

A legal/statistical boundary line that does not correspond to a 

shoreline or other visible feature on the ground.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-9

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

P0002 Perennial Shoreline The more-or-less permanent boundary between land and water 

for a water feature that exists year-round.

P0003 Intermittent Shoreline The boundary between land and water (when water is present) 

for a water feature that does not exist year-round.

P0004 Other non-visible 

bounding Edge (e.g., 

Census water 

boundary, boundary of 

an areal feature)

A bounding Edge that does not represent a legal/statistical 

boundary, and does not correspond to a shoreline or other 

visible feature on the ground. Many such Edges bound area 

landmarks, while many others separate water features from 

each other (e.g., where a bay meets the ocean).

R1011 Railroad Feature 

(Main, Spur, or Yard)

A line of fixed rails or tracks that carries mainstream railroad 

traffic. Such a rail line can be a main line or spur line, or part of a 

rail yard.

R1051 Carline, Streetcar 

Track, Monorail, Other 

Mass Transit

Mass transit rail lines (including lines for rapid transit, monorails, 

streetcars, light rail, etc.) that are typically inaccessible to 

mainstream railroad traffic and whose tracks are not part of a 

road right-of-way.

R1052 Cog Rail Line, Incline 

Rail Line, Tram

A special purpose rail line for climbing steep grades that is 

typically inaccessible to mainstream railroad traffic. Note that 

aerial tramways and streetcars (which may also be called 

“trams”) are accounted for by other MTFCCs and do not belong 

in R1052.

S1100 Primary Road Primary roads are generally divided, limited-access highways 

within the interstate highway system or under state 

management, and are distinguished by the presence of 

interchanges. These highways are accessible by ramps and 

may include some toll highways.

S1200 Secondary Road Secondary roads are main arteries, usually in the U.S. Highway, 

State Highway or County Highway system. These roads have 

one or more lanes of traffic in each direction, may or may not be 

divided, and usually have at-grade intersections with many other 

roads and driveways. They often have both a local name and a 

route number.

S1400 Local Neighborhood 

Road, Rural Road, 

City Street

Generally a paved non-arterial street, road, or byway that 

usually has a single lane of traffic in each direction. Roads in 

this feature class may be privately or publicly maintained. Scenic 

park roads would be included in this feature class, as would 

(depending on the region of the country) some unpaved roads.

S1500 Vehicular Trail (4WD) An unpaved dirt trail where a four-wheel drive vehicle is 

required. These vehicular trails are found almost exclusively in 

very rural areas. Minor, unpaved roads usable by ordinary cars 

and trucks belong in the S1400 category.

S1630 Ramp A road that allows controlled access from adjacent roads onto a 

limited access highway, often in the form of a cloverleaf 

interchange. These roads are unaddressable and do not carry a 

name in the MAF/TIGER System.

S1640 Service Drive usually 

along a limited access 

highway

A road, usually paralleling a limited access highway, that 

provides access to structures along the highway. These roads 

can be named and may intersect with other roads.

S1710 Walkway/Pedestrian 

Trail

A path that is used for walking, being either too narrow for or 

legally restricted from vehicular traffic.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page D-10

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

S1720 Stairway A pedestrian passageway from one level to another by a series 

of steps.

S1730 Alley A service road that does not generally have associated 

addressed structures and is usually unnamed. It is located at the 

rear of buildings and properties and is used for deliveries.

S1740 Private Road for 

service vehicles 

(logging, oil fields, 

ranches, etc.)

A road within private property that is privately maintained for 

service, extractive, or other purposes. These roads are often 

unnamed.

S1750 Internal U.S. Census 

Bureau use

Internal U.S. Census Bureau use.

S1780 Parking Lot Road The main travel route for vehicles through a paved parking area.

S1820 Bike Path or Trail A path that is used for manual or small, motorized bicycles, 

being either too narrow for or legally restricted from vehicular 

traffic.

S1830 Bridle Path A path that is used for horses, being either too narrow for or 

legally restricted from vehicular traffic.

S2000 Road Median The unpaved area or barrier between the carriageways of a 

divided road.

Note: The information in this table was last updated in November 2017.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page E-1

APPENDIX E. STANDARD STREET TYPE ABBREVIATIONS

STREET NAME TYPE STANDARD ABBREVIATION

ALLEY ALY

ANEX ANX

ARCADE ARC

AVENUE AVE

BAYOU BYU

BEACH BCH

BEND BND

BLUFF BLF

BLUFFS BLFS

BOTTOM BTM

BOULEVARD BLVD

BRANCH BR

BRIDGE BRG

BROOK BRK

BROOKS BRKS

BURG BG

BURGS BGS

BYPASS BYP

CAMP CP

CANYON CYN

CAPE CPE

CAUSEWAY CSWY

CENTER CTR

CENTERS CTRS

CIRCLE CIR

CIRCLES CIRS

CLIFF CLF
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page E-2

STREET NAME TYPE STANDARD ABBREVIATION

CLIFFS CLFS

CLUB CLB

COMMON CMN

COMMONS CMNS

CORNER COR

CORNERS CORS

COURSE CRSE

COURT CT

COURTS CTS

COVE CV

COVES CVS

CREEK CRK

CRESCENT CRES

CREST CRST

CROSSING XING

CROSSROAD XRD

CROSSROADS XRDS

CURVE CURV

DALE DL

DAM DM

DIVIDE DV

DRIVE DR

DRIVES DRS

ESTATE EST

ESTATES ESTS

EXPRESSWAY EXPY

EXTENSION EXT

EXTENSIONS EXTS

FALL FALL

FALLS FLS

FERRY FRY
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page E-3

STREET NAME TYPE STANDARD ABBREVIATION

FIELD FLD

FIELDS FLDS

FLAT FLT

FLATS FLTS

FORD FRD

FORDS FRDS

FOREST FRST

FORGE FRG

FORGES FRGS

FORK FRK

FORKS FRKS

FORT FT

FREEWAY FWY

GARDEN GDN

GARDENS GDNS

GATEWAY GTWY

GLEN GLN

GLENS GLNS

GREEN GRN

GREENS GRNS

GROVE GRV

GROVES GRVS

HARBOR HBR

HARBORS HBRS

HAVEN HVN

HEIGHTS HTS

HIGHWAY HWY

HILL HL

HILLS HLS

HOLLOW HOLW

INLET INLT
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page E-4

STREET NAME TYPE STANDARD ABBREVIATION

ISLAND IS

ISLANDS ISS

ISLE ISLE

JUNCTION JCT

JUNCTIONS JCTS

KEY KY

KEYS KYS

KNOLL KNL

KNOLLS KNLS

LAKE LK

LAKES LKS

LAND LAND

LANDING LNDG

LANE LN

LIGHT LGT

LIGHTS LGTS

LOAF LF

LOCK LCK

LOCKS LCKS

LODGE LDG

LOOP LOOP

MALL MALL

MANOR MNR

MANORS MNRS

MEADOW MDW

MEADOWS MDWS

MEWS MEWS

MILL ML

MILLS MLS

MISSION MSN

MOTORWAY MTWY
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page E-5

STREET NAME TYPE STANDARD ABBREVIATION

MOUNT MT

MOUNTAIN MTN

MOUNTAINS MTNS

NECK NCK

ORCHARD ORCH

OVAL OVAL

OVERPASS OPAS

PARK PARK

PARKS PARK

PARKWAY PKWY

PARKWAYS PKWY

PASS PASS

PASSAGE PSGE

PATH PATH

PIKE PIKE

PINE PNE

PINES PNES

PLACE PL

PLAIN PLN

PLAINS PLNS

PLAZA PLZ

POINT PT

POINTS PTS

PORT PRT

PORTS PRTS

PRAIRIE PR

RADIAL RADL

RAMP RAMP

RANCH RNCH

RAPID RPD

RAPIDS RPDS
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page E-6

STREET NAME TYPE STANDARD ABBREVIATION

REST RST

RIDGE RDG

RIDGES RDGS

RIVER RIV

ROAD RD

ROADS RDS

ROUTE RTE

ROW ROW

RUE RUE

RUN RUN

SHOAL SHL

SHOALS SHLS

SHORE SHR

SHORES SHRS

SKYWAY SKWY

SPRING SPG

SPRINGS SPGS

SPUR SPUR

SPURS SPUR

SQUARE SQ

SQUARES SQS

STATION STA

STRAVENUE STRA

STREAM STRM

STREET ST

STREETS STS

SUMMIT SMT

TERRACE TER

THROUGHWAY TRWY

TRACE TRCE

TRACK TRAK
Boundary and Annexation Survey Tribal Respondent Guide: Digital Page E-7

STREET NAME TYPE STANDARD ABBREVIATION

TRAFFICWAY TRFY

TRAIL TRL

TRAILER TRLR

TUNNEL TUNL

TURNPIKE TPKE

UNDERPASS UPAS

UNION UN

UNIONS UNS

VALLEY VLY

VALLEYS VLYS

VIADUCT VIA

VIEW VW

VIEWS VWS

VILLAGE VLG

VILLAGES VLGS

VILLE VL

VISTA VIS

WALK WALK

WALKS WALK

WALL WALL

WAY WAY

WAYS WAYS

WELL WL

WELLS WLS