Revised as of November 21, 2017

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economic and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent 

Guide: State Certification

Silver Hill City
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program

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Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page i

Table of Contents

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement............................................................................................ii

Introduction to The Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) State Certification Program................... iii

A. Overview of the BAS State Certification Program................................................................... iii

B. State Certification Listings.................................................................................................. iii

C. Preview of Certification Procedures.....................................................................................iv

D. State Laws........................................................................................................................iv

E. Accessing the BAS State Certification Materials.....................................................................iv

List 1: Entities That Disincorporated, Became Inactive, or Ceased to Exist.........................................1

1.1 Data File Description................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Instructions................................................................................................................ 1

List 2: Boundary Changes............................................................................................................3

2.1. Data File Description ................................................................................................... 3

2.2. Instructions................................................................................................................ 4

List 3: Incorporated Places..........................................................................................................7

3.1. Data File Description ................................................................................................... 7

3.2. Instructions................................................................................................................ 8

List 4: Minor Civil Divisions.........................................................................................................9

4.1. Data File Description ................................................................................................... 9

4.2. Instructions...............................................................................................................10

Returning Updates with the Secure Web Incoming Module...........................................................11

5.1. Submitting Digital Files via the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM)...............................11

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................17

APPENDIX A States with Functioning/Nonfunctioning MCDs A-1

APPENDIX B Definitions B-1
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page ii

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
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page iii

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOUNDARY AND ANNEXATION SURVEY (BAS)

STATE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

A. Overview of the BAS State Certification Program

The 2017 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) State Certification Program invites the Governorappointed State Certifying Official (SCO) to review the information that local governments reported to 

the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) during the 2017 BAS. The BAS is an annual survey of local and 

county governments conducted by the Census Bureau to collect legal boundary updates, names of 

legally defined geographic areas, and the functional status of governmental units.

The purpose of the BAS State Certification Programis to verify the accuracy, validity, and completeness 

of the BAS information with the state governments. Every year, the Census Bureau will distribute an 

email to the SCO that includes a link to the BAS State Certification Web page containing the listings of 

the information collected from the previous BAS year. These listings include the attribute information 

for disincorporations and legal boundary changes reported during the 2017 BAS, as well as the names 

and functional statuses of incorporated places and Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs). 

The SCO should review these listings and certify any records that were legally implemented in 

accordance with their state laws. Depending on the state laws, the SCO may request the Census Bureau 

to edit the attribute information or remove invalid records from the listings. The SCO may also notify the 

Census Bureau of records that are missing from the listings. If a state does not have a law in effect 

mandating local governments to report status or boundary changes to a state agency, the Census 

Bureau will provide the listings to the SCO for informational purposes only.

The letter attached to the BAS State Certification email lists the types of changes that are required by 

state law to be reported to a state level agency. If there is an error in the information, please provide an 

explanation of the state laws in question to Allison Shafer or Nathan Jones of the Partnership 

Communication and Outreach Branch (PCOB) by email at geo.bas@census.gov.

B. State Certification Listings

Thissection discusses the 2017 BAS State Certification listings, which are located on the BAS website at 

the following link: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/information/state-certificationprogram.html

 List 1 – Entitiesreportedto the Census Bureauthat have disincorporated, become

inactive, or otherwise ceased toexist. This listing is only available if a deletedentity was 

reported to the Census Bureau during the 2017 BAS.

 List 2 – Reported legal boundary changes (annexations, deannexations/detachments,

etc.)to active incorporated places within the state as of January1, 2017.

 List 3 – All governmentally active and inactive incorporated places in the state,

according to the Census Bureau’s records as of January 1, 2017.

 List 4 – All governmentally active and inactive MCDsin the state, according toCensus

Bureau’srecords as of January1, 2017. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page iv

C. Preview of Certification Procedures

Please review each record in each listing. As the SCO, you have the authority to submit any changes to 

the Census Bureau. You will be reporting your determinations for each record by entering ONE of the 

following action codes in the listing file ‘Cert.’ column, which are defined in the table below:

Action Code Description

C

Certify. The SCO certifiesthat the informationfor the record is 

complete, accurate, andconformsto applicable state laws.

A

Add. The SCO adds a record from the state’sfile that is missing from

the listing.

R Reverse. The SCO requeststo remove an invalid recordfrom the

listing.

E Edit. The SCO editsthe attribute information for an existing record

in the listing.

X

Duplicate Entry. The SCOindicates that the record is a duplicate of

another record in the listing.

<blank>

Leaving a blank field meansthere are no actionsfor the record. The 

Census Bureauwill continue to maintainthe record and its current

attribute information.

Table 1: Action Codes and Descriptions

D. State Laws

The SCO is responsible for understanding the laws in their state that pertain to legal boundary changes, 

new incorporations, and disincorporations/dissolutions since this will determine the extent to which the 

Census Bureau will accept changes to the State Certification listings. Strong law states require local 

governments to report any legal actions causing changes to their legal boundaries to the state 

government. If such laws are in effect, the SCO should have access to a complete boundary change file 

through the state government, which they shall use to compare with the Census Bureau listings. In 

strong law states, the SCO may pursue any of the actions described in Table 1.

In states that do not have such laws, the SCO does not need to submit the edited listings to the Census 

Bureau. However, if the SCO does have access to a state-level boundary change file, they may use it to 

certify or add missing records to the State Certification listings. In most cases, the Census Bureau will 

accept these actions. Reversals and edits will not be accepted unless these changes are confirmed by the 

local governmental entity affected by the change.

E. Accessing the BAS State Certification Materials

All BAS State Certification materials, including the listings for review and this respondent guide can be 

found on the BAS State Certification Web page at the following location:

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/information/state-certification-program.html
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page v

From the BAS State Certification program Web page, go to the section of the page that reads, 

“Download BAS State Certification Materials”. In the “Select a Geography” drop down box under 

“Choose a State to View”, select the state you are responsible for reviewing. Upon selection of your 

state, you will be taken to an ftp site. Download the contents of the folder. These are the listings that 

are referenced throughout this document and that you will review for the BAS State Certification 

program. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 1

LIST 1: ENTITIES THAT DISINCORPORATED, BECAME INACTIVE, OR 

CEASED TO EXIST

1.1 Data File Description

List 1 contains the names of all geographic entities in your state that have: disincorporated, became 

inactive (no longer have officers, collect revenue, or conduct governmental activities), or otherwise 

ceased to exist as of January 1, 2017. Table 2 provides an explanation of the fields in the data file.

Column FieldName Description

A PlaceName and LSAD Entity’s Nameand Expanded legal/statistical area description.

B County County/countiesin whichthe entity is located.

C Effective Date The dateon filefor when theentity disincorporated, became inactive,

or otherwise ceasedto exist.

D Effective Date Update Will be initiallyblank sothat youmay provide edits to thedata in the

Effective Date field withoutoverriding original data.

E Cert. Will also beinitiallyblank sothat youmay indicatethe records

that you certify as correct and complete.

F Memo

Will also beinitiallyblank sothat youmay include any notes you have

regarding a certainrecord.

Table 2: List 1 Data File Field Descriptions

Example 1: List 1

1.2 Instructions

Please review the data file to ensure that it provides a complete and correct inventory of all entities that 

have disincorporated, become inactive, or otherwise ceased to exist as of January 1, 2017.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 2

For all records that are deemed to be correct and complete:

 In the Cert. field, enter a “C” if you certify the record to be complete, accurate, and 

conforming to applicable laws in your state.

If there is an entity that disincorporated, became inactive, or otherwise ceased to exist by January 1, 

2017 and is missing from the data file:

 In a new row at the bottom of the data file, enter the missing entity’s name and the entity 

type (such as town, township, city, etc.) under the Place Name and Legal/Statistical Area 

Description (LSAD) field, the date the entity disincorporated, became inactive, or otherwise

ceased to exist into the Effective Date Update field, and provide an explanation in the 

Memo field.

 In the Cert. field, enter an “A”. This will inform the Census Bureau that an additional entity 

should be added to the list of deleted entities.

If any entity is listed in error:

 In the Cert. field, enter an “R” to notify the Census Bureau that this entity should be 

removed from the list of deleted entities.

 In the Memo field, provide an explanation why the entity should be removed. 

If there is an error with the Effective Date of an entity:

 In the Effective Date Update field, enter the correct date the entity ceased to exist.

 In the Cert. field, type an “E” to notify the Census Bureau that the Effective Date must be 

edited in the list of deleted entities.

If any entity is duplicated:

 In the Cert. field, enter an “X” to inform the Census Bureau that this entity is a duplicate of 

another entity.

 In the Memo field, indicate the duplicate ID.

Upon completion of your review of the List 1 data file, please certify the statement at the bottom of the 

file by typing your full name, title, and the date of your concurrence below the provided statement.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 3

LIST 2: BOUNDARY CHANGES

2.1. Data File Description

The List 2 data file (Example 2) provides an inventory of legal boundary changes to active incorporated 

places within your state that were reported to the 2017 BAS. If an entity is not listed in a file, it means 

that the entity did not report boundary changes effective as of January 1, 2017 to the 2017 BAS. Table 3

provides an explanation of the fields in the data file.

Column FieldName Description

A

Place Name 

and LSAD

Entity’s name and expanded legal/statistical area description.

B

FIPS Place 

Code

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code for the place.

C Action Shows whether the boundary change is an annexation, detachment, or other type 

of action.

D Action Update

Will be blank so that you may provide edits to the data in the Action field without 

overwriting original data.

E

Authorization 

Type Shows the type of legal authorization that effected the change.

F

Authorization 

Type Update

Will be blank so that you may provide edits to the data in the Authorization Type 

field without overwriting original data.

G Local Number The identification number of the legal document that recorded the authorization 

effecting the change to the boundary.

H

Local Number 

Update

Will be blank so that you may provide edits to the data in the Local Number field 

without overwriting original data.

I

Local Effective 

Date

Lists the effective date of each action. (Please note that there may be a difference 

between the effective date of actions on this list and the effective date in your 

files because the Census Bureau’s records contain a locally reported date.)

J

Local Effective 

Date Update

Will be blank so that you may provide edits to the data in the Local Effective Date 

field without overwriting original data.

K

Secondary 

Effective 

Number

The state legal action number identifying the legal document that recorded the 

authorization effecting the change to the boundary (if applicable).

L

Secondary 

Effective 

Number 

Update

Will be blank so that you may provide edits to the data in the Secondary Effective 

Number field without overwriting original data (if applicable).

M

Secondary 

Effective Date

Lists the effective date of each state legal action. (Please note that there may be a 

difference between the effective date of actions on this list and the effective date 

in your files because the Census Bureau’s records contain a locally reported date.)

N

Secondary 

Effective Date

Update

Will be blank so that you may provide edits to the data in the Secondary Effective 

Date field without overwriting original data.

K or O Acreage Lists the reported acreage of the affected territory.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 4

L or P

Acreage 

Update

Will be blank so that you may provide edits to the data in the Acreage field 

without overwriting original data.

M or Q Keying Date

Lists the date that the record was entered into the Census Bureau’s Master 

Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding Referencing 

(MAF/TIGER) System. The keying date may be used to research boundary changes 

on the Census Bureau’s maps.

N or R Cert. Will be blank so that you may indicate the records that you certify as correct and 

complete. (See Table 1.)

O or S GCATOID Field used internally to identify the change to the entity

P or T <Blank> Will be blank so that you may provide additional information about the record if 

necessary.

Table3: List 2 FieldDescriptions

Example 2: List 2

2.2. Instructions

Please review this data file (Example 2) to verify that:

 Each legal boundary change was accomplished in accordance with applicable state law.

 The Place Name, Action, Authorization Type, Local Number, Local Effective Date, Acreage, 

and if applicable, Secondary Effective Number and Secondary Effective Date, shown for each 

change is correct.

 The Census Bureau’s list is complete as of January 1, 2017.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 5

When reviewing the data file, you may determine that a record(s) in the Census Bureau’s data file does 

not match your records. If this occurs, please research if specific attributes of the change are incorrect 

or if the boundary update was not completed in accordance with your state law(s). 

NOTE: Some places provide the Census Bureau with the legal documentation along with maps of

boundary changes. If you wish to view the legal documentation for a change, please send an

email to geo.bas@census.gov. Inthe email, please specify the entity that the change affected, 

and the attribute information associated with the change in List 2. The Census Bureau will 

research to determine if we have any supplemental information for this change.

Once you have completed the review of List 2, you should be able to determine:

 If a boundary change wasaccomplished in accordance with pertinentstate laws;

 If there was an error in the depiction of the boundary change and/or attribute information, 

or;

 If boundary change was not accomplished in accordance with applicable state laws.

If a boundary change was accomplished in accordance with your state law and the attribute data is

correct:

 In the Cert. field, enter a “C” to indicate that you certify the change. 

If a boundary update is missing from the Census Bureau’s records:

 In a blank row at the bottom of the list, type the entity’s name where the change occurred 

in the Entity name field, “annexation” or “detachment” into the Action Update field, 

“ordinance”, “resolution”, “local law”, “state-level action”, or “other” into the Authorization 

Type Update field, the legal document number into the Local Number Update field, the 

effective date into the Local Effective Date Update field, and if you are aware of the acreage, 

the acreage into the Acreage Update field. If applicable, type the state legal action number 

into the Secondary Number Update field, the effective date of the state legal action into the 

Secondary Effective Date Update field.

 In the Cert. field, enter an “A” to inform the Census Bureauthat an additional boundary

change should be added to the Census Bureau’s database.

If a boundary change was not accomplished in accordance with applicable state law, you may either:

 Leave the Cert. field blank, which will indicate that your state government does not certify 

the change but you do not wish to reverse the change at this time, or

 In the Cert. field, enter an “R” to reverse the change. In the blank cell to the right of the 

Cert. field, please note the reason as well as any additional information about the reversal.

If a portion or allof the attribute data for the boundary change is incorrect:

 Type the correct data in the field to the right of the incorrect data. For example, if the

information in the Action field is incorrect, type the correct information in the Action

Update field to the right of the Action field. If the date in which the change is effective is 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 6

incorrect, enterthe correct date in the Local/Secondary Effective DateUpdate field. Blank

update fields are also provided if you need to change the Authorization Type, Number, and

Acreage information.

 In the Cert. field, enter an “E” to notify the Census Bureau that a portion or all the

attributes for this record must be edited.

If a boundary update is a duplicate of an already existing boundary change:

 In the Cert. field, enter an “X”.

Upon completion of your review of List 2, please certify the statement at the bottom of the data file. In 

order to certify this statement, type your name, title, and the date of your concurrence below the 

provided statement.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 7

LIST 3: INCORPORATED PLACES

3.1. Data File Description

The List 3 data file (Example 3) shows the names of all active and inactive incorporated places in your 

state according to the Census Bureau’s records. An active incorporated place is one that has officials 

(elected or appointed) and has the legal capacity to raise revenues and conduct general governmental 

activities. Table 4 provides an explanation of each of the fields in the data file.

Column Field Name Description

A

 County Name The county (or boroughor census area in Alaska, parishfor Louisiana) 

where each incorporated placeis located.

B

 Place Name and 

LSAD

Lists theplaces in alphabetical order withinthecounty. If a place exists in 

multiple counties, itwill belisted undereach county in whichit is located.

The LSAD is theexpanded legal/statistical area description, such as city,

town, village, etc.

C Part Flag Iftheentity is locatedwithin multiple counties,thisfieldwill bepopulated by

the letter “P”otherwise thisfieldwill be blank.

D

FS Lists thefunctionalstatus (FS) oftheentity.(SeeAppendix B for definitions)

E

FSUpdate Will be initiallyblank sothat youmay provide edits to the informationin the

FS field without overwritingoriginal data.

F

Cert. Will beinitiallyblank sothat youmay indicatetherecords that you certify

as correct andcomplete.

G Memo Will beinitiallyblank sothat youmay includenotes.

Table4: List 3 Data File Field Descriptions

Example 3: List 3
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 8

3.2. Instructions

Please review the List 3 data file (Example 3) to ensure that it provides a complete and correct inventory 

of all incorporated places that were governmentally active or inactive.

If a place is located in multiple counties in your records, please review the file to ensure that it is listed 

under each applicable county. Places that occur in multiple counties in MAF/TIGER will have “P” entered 

in column C (Part Flag) of the data file. 

For all records that you deem to be correct and complete:

 In the Cert. field, type a “C” to indicate you certify the record. 

If a place is missing from the data file:

 In a new row at the bottom of the data file, type the place’s county’s name in the County 

Name field, the place’s name and entity type in the Place Name and LSAD field, “active” or 

“inactive” in the FS field, and the effective date when the place legally incorporated in the 

Memo field.

 In the Cert. field, enter “A” which will inform the Census Bureau that this place should be 

added to MAF/TIGER

NOTE: If the place exists in two or more counties, type all the county names, separated by commas, into 

the County Name field.

If a place is no longer incorporated:

 In the Memo field, provide the effective date of the status change.

 In the Cert. field, type an “R” to notify the Census Bureau that the place should be removed 

from MAF/TIGER.

If the functional status of a place has changed:

 In the FS Update field, enter the correct functional status.

 In the Memo field, enter the effective date of the status change.

 In the Cert. field, type an “E” to notify the Census Bureau that the functional status must be 

edited in MAF/TIGER.

Upon completion of your review of the List 3 data file, please certify the statement at the bottom of the 

data file. In order to certify this statement, type your name, title, and the date of your concurrence 

below the provided statement.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 9

LIST 4: MINOR CIVIL DIVISIONS

4.1. Data File Description

The List 4 data file shows the names of all active and inactive Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) in your state 

according to the Census Bureau’s records. An active MCD operates as a governmental unit, having 

officials (elected or appointed), and having the legal capacity to raise revenues and conduct general 

governmental activities. States that do not have MCDs will not receive the List 4 data file. See Appendix 

A for a list of states that have MCDs.

The file does not include MCDs that the Census Bureau considers to be unorganized. Table 5 provides an 

explanation of the fields in the data file.

Column FieldName Description

A County Name The county where eachentity is located.

B

MCD Name and 

LSAD 

Lists MCDs in alphabetical order within thestate. TheLSAD is theexpanded

legal/statistical area description, such astown or township.

C FS Lists the functional status(FS) ofthe entity. (See Appendix B for definitions.)

D FSUpdate Will be initially blank so that you may provide an updated functional status 

without overwriting original data in the FS field.

E Cert.

Will beinitially blank so that you may indicate the recordsthat youcertify as

correct and complete.

F Memo Will be initially blank so that you may includeany notes you have regarding

the record.

Table5: List4 - Data File FieldDescriptions

Example4: List 4
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 10

4.2. Instructions

Please review the List 4 data file (Example 4) to ensure that it provides a complete and correct inventory 

of all MCDs that were governmentally active or inactive.

For all records that you deem to be correct and complete:

 In the Cert. field, type a “C” to indicate you certify the record. 

If an entity is missing from the data file:

 In a new row at the bottom of the data file, type MCD’s county’s name in the county name

field, the MCD’s name followed by its legal area description (such as town or township) in 

the MCD Name and LSAD field, “active” or “inactive” in the FS Update field, and the 

effective date when the MCD organized in the Memo field.

 In the Cert. field, type “A” which will inform the Census Bureau that this MCD should be 

added to MAF/TIGER.

If an MCD is no longer organized:

 In the Memo field, provide the effective date when the MCD ceased to exist.

 In the Cert. field, type an “R” to notify the Census Bureau that the MCD should be removed 

from MAF/TIGER.

If the functional status of an MCD has changed:

 In the FS Update field, enter the correct functional status.

 In the Memo field, enter the effective date of the status change.

 In the Cert. field, enter an “E” to notify the Census Bureau that the functional status must be 

edited in MAF/TIGER.

Upon completion of your review of the List 4 data file, please certify the statement at the bottom of the 

data file. In order to certify this statement, type your name, title, and the date of your concurrence 

below the provided statement.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 11

RETURNING UPDATES WITH THE SECURE WEB INCOMING MODULE

5.1. Submitting Digital Files via the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM)

The SWIM is a one-stop location for submitting your geographic program files to the Census Bureau. The 

Census Bureau now requires that all BAS State Certification participants use the Census Bureau’s SWIM 

for submitting update materials.

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

security policy at the Census Bureau.

If you do not already have a SWIM account, please email the Census Bureau at geo.bas@census.gov to 

request a SWIM registration token. Use “BAS State Certification – SWIM Token Request” as the subject 

of the email. 

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.

If you are a participant for other Census Bureau geographic programs, you only need one SWIM account 

to submit files for all geographic partnership programs.

NOTE: If you have any questions about SWIM, please contact the Partnership Communication and 

Outreach Branch at 301-763-1099 or by email to 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) If you already have a registered account, please login with your user credentials.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 12

Example 5: SWIM Account Registration
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 13

Example 6: SWIM login window

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

'Start New Upload' to continue.

Example7: 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.

Example8: GeographicPartnershipProgramselection window.

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

if you are a county government submitting data, select county. If an incorporated place, then 

select place...etc.). For BAS State Certification, you will select ‘State’. Click 'Next' to continue.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 14

Example 9: 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.

Example 10: Geographic entity selection window (state and county)
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 15

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

Example 11: 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 website only accepts ZIP files. Click 'Open' to continue.

Example 12: File browser dialog box
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 16

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

upload your submission.

Example 13: 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.

Example14: Thank you screen
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program Page 17

APPENDICES
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program A-1

APPENDIX A States with Functioning/Nonfunctioning MCDs

States with Functioning MCDs States with Nonfunctioning MCDs

Connecticut Arkansas

Illinois Iowa

Indiana Louisiana

Kansas Maryland

Maine Mississippi

Massachusetts North Carolina

Michigan Tennessee

Minnesota Virginia

Missouri West Virginia

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Dakota

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Vermont

Wisconsin 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: State Certification Program B-1

APPENDIX B Definitions

Active governmental unit – a functioning governmental unit that is exercising its legal capacity to

have elected or appointed officials, raise revenues, and perform governmental activities (such as

enactment of laws, provision of services, and entering into contracts).

Functional Status – the administrative or legal activities associated with performing the legally

prescribed functions of a governmental unit. If the administrative or legal entity is functioning, its

functional statusis either active or inactive.

Functioning governmental unit – a general-purpose government that hasthe legal capacity to elect or

appoint officials, raise revenues, provide services, and enter into contracts. Functional governments

may have an active or inactive functional status.

Governmental Unit – a geographic entity established by legal action, and for the purpose of

implementing administrative or governmental functions. Most governmental units have officially

recognizedboundaries. (Ex: incorporated placesand MCDs)

Inactive governmental unit – a functioning governmental unit that is not currently exercising its legal

capacity to have elected or appointed officials; thus, it is not raising revenue or providing services.

Incorporated place – a type of governmental unit, incorporated under State law as a city, town

(except in New England, New York, and Wisconsin), borough (except in Alaska and New York),

or village, having legally prescribed limits, powers, and functions.

Minor Civil Division (MCD) – a type of governmental unit that is the primary legal subdivision of

a county for 29 states, created to govern or administer an area rather than a specific population.

The several types of MCDs are identified by a variety of terms, such as town, township, and

district, and include both functioning and nonfunctioning governmental units.

Nonfunctioning governmental unit – a legally defined governmental unit that does not have the

legal capacity to have appointed or elected officials, raise revenues, or perform general purpose

governmental activitiessuch as enacting laws, entering into contracts, or providing services.

Unorganized Territory (UT) – the statistical equivalent of an MCD encompassing contiguous area that

is not within any functioning/nonfunctioning MCD or incorporated place.