BAS Digital Non-Tribal Respondent Guide

21_BASRespondentGuide_Digital_508.pdf

The Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) & Boundary Validation Program (BVP)

BAS Digital Non-Tribal Respondent Guide

OMB: 0607-0151

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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)
Respondent Guide: Digital
Instructions for Participating Digitally in the 2021 Boundary and Annexation Survey
Revised as of November 11, 2020

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U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................viii
A.

The Boundary and Annexation Survey ........................................................................ viii

Key Dates for BAS Respondents .................................................................................. viii

BAS State Agreements................................................................................................... ix

Legal Disputes ............................................................................................................... ix

Chapter 1 Digital BAS Requirements ....................................................................................... 1
1.1

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

1.2

BAS Informational and Tutorial Videos .......................................................................... 1

Chapter 2 Topological Relationships and Spatial Accuracy ...................................................... 2
2.1

Topological Relationships in the MAF/TIGER System ..................................................... 2

2.2

GIS and Spatial Accuracy ................................................................................................ 3

2.3

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

Chapter 3 Census Bureau Provided Shapefiles ........................................................................ 6
3.1

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Codes ................................................ 6

Chapter 4 Census Bureau Geocoding ...................................................................................... 7
4.1

MAF Structure Point (MSP) Geocoding .......................................................................... 7

4.2

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

Chapter 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

5.3.1 Annexations and Deannexations ............................................................................. 10
5.3.2 Boundary Corrections .............................................................................................. 10
5.3.3 Boundary Changes to Legal Governments in Georgia and Indiana .......................... 11
5.3.4 New Incorporations ................................................................................................. 12
5.3.5 Disincorporations..................................................................................................... 12
5.3.6 Geographic Corridors ............................................................................................... 12
5.3.7 Geographic Offsets .................................................................................................. 13
5.4

Linear Feature Updates ................................................................................................ 14

5.4.1 Adding, Deleting, Renaming, and Recoding Linear Features.................................... 15
5.4.2 Address Range Updates ........................................................................................... 15
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.5

Area Landmarks, Hydrographic Areas, and Point Landmarks ....................................... 15

5.5.2 Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area Updates ........................................................... 16
5.5.3 Point Landmark Updates ......................................................................................... 18
5.6

Reviewing Changes to the Census Bureau Shapefiles .................................................. 19

5.6.1 Boundary-to-Feature Relationships ......................................................................... 20
5.6.2 Large Boundary Corrections .................................................................................... 22
5.6.3 Required Attribute Information ............................................................................... 23
5.6.4 Appropriate Projection Information ........................................................................ 23
5.6.5 Linear Feature Updates ........................................................................................... 23
5.7

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

5.7.1 Submitting Digital Data ............................................................................................ 24
5.7.2 Change Polygon Layer Naming Conventions ............................................................ 25
5.7.3 Whole Entity Polygon Layer Naming Conventions ................................................... 25
5.7.5 Linear Feature, Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area, and Point Landmark Updates 26
5.7.6 Compressing the Digital Files ................................................................................... 26
5.7.7 Submitting Digital Files through SWIM .................................................................... 28
Appendices ............................................................................................................................ 33
Appendix A

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

Appendix B

2021 BAS Example Process 1 .......................................................................... B-1

How to Use the BAS Partnership Toolbox ...................................................................B-1

Toolbox Tools Setup ....................................................................................................B-1

Census Data Download Tool........................................................................................B-2

Create Changes Tool ...................................................................................................B-4

Sliver Blaster Tool (Optional).......................................................................................B-6

Format Working MXD Tool (Optional) .........................................................................B-7

Attribute Check Tool ...................................................................................................B-8

Export Submission Tool ...............................................................................................B-9

Submitting Files through the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) .......................B-10

Appendix C

2021 Digital BAS Example Process 2 ............................................................... C-1

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

Local Data....................................................................................................................C-1

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

Symbolizing Geographic Areas ....................................................................................C-2

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Extracting Incorporated Place or MCD Data from Census Shapefiles ..........................C-2

C5.1 Filtering the Data ....................................................................................................C-3
C5.2 Exporting the Data to a New Shapefile ...................................................................C-3
C6

Merging Multipart Place Data .....................................................................................C-4

Creating Change Polygons ...........................................................................................C-5

C7.1 Creating Change Polygons Using Symmetrical Difference ......................................C-5
C7.2 Creating Change Polygons Using Union ..................................................................C-6
C8

Reviewing and Attributing Change Polygons ...............................................................C-8

C8.1 Examples.................................................................................................................C-8
C9

Attribute Information ..................................................................................................C-8

C9.1 To Begin Updating Attributes for Annexation .........................................................C-9
C9.2 To Begin Updating Attributes for Deannexation .....................................................C-9
C9.3 To Begin Updating Attributes for Geographic Corridors .........................................C-9
C9.4 To Begin Updating Attributes for Geographic Offsets.............................................C-9
C9.5 To Finish Updating Attributes .................................................................................C-9
C10 Renaming and Finalizing Change Polygons ................................................................C-10
C10.1 Renaming the Shapefile ........................................................................................C-10
C10.2 Submitting the shapefile .......................................................................................C-10
C10.3 To Begin Updating Attributes for Boundary Corrections ......................................C-10
Appendix D

U.S. Census Bureau

MTFCC Descriptions ....................................................................................... D-1

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

iii

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: BAS Shapefile Naming Conventions ................................................................................. 6
Table 2: Annexations and Deannexations ................................................................................... 10
Table 3: Boundary Corrections .................................................................................................... 10
Table 4: New Incorporations ....................................................................................................... 12
Table 5: Disincorporations .......................................................................................................... 12
Table 6: Geographic Corridors..................................................................................................... 13
Table 7: Geographic Offsets ........................................................................................................ 14
Table 8: Linear Feature Updates ................................................................................................. 15
Table 9. Address Range Updates ................................................................................................. 15
Table 10: Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas ............................................................................ 16
Table 11: Acceptable MTFCCs for New Area Landmarks/Hydrographic Areas ............................ 17
Table 12: Point Landmark Updates ............................................................................................. 18
Table 13: Restricted Point Landmark MTFCC Codes.................................................................... 19
Table 14: Change Polygons ......................................................................................................... 25
Table 15: Whole Entity Polygon Layer Naming Conventions ....................................................... 25
Table 16: Optional Files ............................................................................................................... 26
Table 17: County and Equivalent Areas Shapefile ..................................................................... A-1
Table 18: County Subdivisions Shapefile ................................................................................... A-1
Table 19: Incorporated Place Shapefile ..................................................................................... A-2
Table 20: Consolidated City Shapefile ....................................................................................... A-2
Table 21: Edges Shapefile.......................................................................................................... A-3
Table 22: Area Landmark Shapefile ........................................................................................... A-4
Table 23: Hydrographic Area Shapefile ..................................................................................... A-4
Table 24: Point Landmark Shapefile .......................................................................................... A-4
Table 25: Geographic Offset Shapefile ...................................................................................... A-5
Table 26: Suggested MTFCC Symbolization ................................................................................C-2

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Topological Integration of Four Classes .......................................................................... 3
Figure 2. Overlay of Four Feature Classes ..................................................................................... 4
Figure 3. GIS Place Boundary Does Not Follow Road Feature ....................................................... 4
Figure 4. GPS Method of Geocoding ............................................................................................. 7
Figure 5. Address Range Method of Geocoding ............................................................................ 8
Figure 6. Geographic Corridor Created ....................................................................................... 13
Figure 7. Geographic Corridor Not Created................................................................................. 13
Figure 8. Cadastral Data .............................................................................................................. 14
Figure 9. Same Data Edited to Census Requirements ................................................................. 14
Figure 10. A Boundary Correction to Park A ................................................................................ 16
Figure 11. Boundary Corrections Not Snapped to Existing Linear Features ................................ 20
Figure 12. Annexation Created without Snapping to Centerlines ............................................... 21
Figure 13. Small Spatial Correction Not Incorporated ................................................................. 21
Figure 14. Small Spatial Correction Not Accepted ....................................................................... 22
Figure 15. Large Boundary Corrections ....................................................................................... 22
Figure 16. New Road Features, Not Added to Existing Road ....................................................... 23
Figure 17. New Road Features, Correctly Added......................................................................... 23
Figure 18. Selecting and Zipping Return Files .............................................................................. 27
Figure 19. Naming the ZIP File..................................................................................................... 28
Figure 20. SWIM Account Registration........................................................................................ 29
Figure 21. SWIM Login Window .................................................................................................. 30
Figure 22. Welcome Screen with Upload History ........................................................................ 30
Figure 23. Geographic Partnership Program Selection Window ................................................. 30
Figure 24. Geographic Level Selection Window .......................................................................... 31
Figure 25. Government Selection Window ................................................................................. 31
Figure 26. File Upload Screen ...................................................................................................... 31
Figure 27. File Browser Dialog Box .............................................................................................. 32
Figure 28. Entering Comments into the File Upload Window ..................................................... 32
Figure 29. Thank You Screen ....................................................................................................... 32
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Figure 30. Partnership BAS Tools Menu .....................................................................................B-2
Figure 31. Partnership BAS Tools Menu with Census Data Download Selected .........................B-2
Figure 32. The Census Data Download Window with ‘Yes’ in the Use Data Downloader Field ..B-3
Figure 33. The Census Data Download Window with ‘No’ in the Use Data Downloader Field ...B-3
Figure 34. Partnership Tools Menu Showing a Folder for the BAS ID in the Projects Folder ......B-3
Figure 35. NAME Field in Census Data vs Local Boundary Data..................................................B-4
Figure 36. Appropriate Attribution for COUSUB or AIANNH Changes ........................................B-4
Figure 37. Partnership Tools Menu with Create Changes Tool Selected ....................................B-5
Figure 38. Create Changes Window ...........................................................................................B-5
Figure 39. Partnership Tools Menu with Geodatabase ..............................................................B-6
Figure 40. Partnership Tools Menu with Sliver Blaster Selected ................................................B-6
Figure 41. Sliver Blaster Window ...............................................................................................B-7
Figure 42. Partnership Tools Menu with Format Working MXD Selected ..................................B-7
Figure 43. Format Working MXD Window .................................................................................B-7
Figure 44. Projects Submenu with mxd file Selected .................................................................B-8
Figure 45. Partnership Tools Menu with Attribute Check Selected ............................................B-8
Figure 46. Attribute Check Window ...........................................................................................B-8
Figure 47. Projects Submenu Showing an attribute_check Text File ..........................................B-9
Figure 48. Partnership Tools Menu with Export Submission Files Selected ...............................B-9
Figure 49. Export Submission Files Window .............................................................................B-10

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

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U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

vii

INTRODUCTION
A.

The Boundary and Annexation Survey

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) annually 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, and
Hawaiian Homelands. BAS also provides an opportunity for participants to review the names
and geographic relationships for these areas. Title 13, Section 6, United States Code authorizes
this survey.
The Census Bureau uses the boundary information collected during BAS to tabulate data for the
decennial and economic censuses, and to support the yearly delivery of the Population
Estimates Program (PEP) and the American Community Survey (ACS) data. Maintaining correct
boundaries and boundary-to-feature relationships through BAS helps ensure that the Census
Bureau assigns the appropriate housing and population counts to each government.
In compliance with the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-16, 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
governments.
In addition, 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, and federally recognized AIAs, which include reservations and off-reservation trust
lands used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Map, and the Geographic Names
Information System (GNIS). Please visit the BAS program website at
.
For more information on BAS, please view the BAS video series on the Census Bureau’s BAS
website at .

Key Dates for BAS Respondents

January 1– Boundary updates must be legally in effect on or before this date to be reported in
the current survey year.
March 1– Boundary updates returned by this date will be reflected in the ACS and PEP data and
in next year’s BAS materials.
May 31– Boundary updates returned by this date will be reflected in next year’s BAS materials.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

viii

BAS State Agreements

The Census Bureau has established agreements with states for reporting boundary changes.
Please visit the BAS State Agreements webpage within the BAS program website at
or call
1-800-972-5651 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.

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.
To learn more, please contact the Census Bureau Legal Office at 1-301-763-9844.
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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

CHAPTER 1
1.1

DIGITAL BAS REQUIREMENTS

Digital BAS Participation Requirements
1. All participants must create a new shapefile of boundary change polygons based off the current
Census Bureau boundary. Submissions containing only a whole entity boundary shapefile of the
current local data will not be accepted.
2. All participants must provide legal documentation numbers and effective dates for all legal
boundary changes (annexations and deannexations).
3. Each non-legal boundary correction must contain proper update documentation according to
boundary corrections guidelines or the Census Bureau will not make the correction for this BAS
cycle.
4. All participants must use the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) to submit their changes to
the Census Bureau. Due to security requirements, the Census Bureau cannot accept submissions
via File Transfer Protocol (FTP), email or any protocol other than the SWIM site. For details on
registering and using SWIM, please see 5.7.6, Submitting Digital Files through SWIM. To access
SWIM, enter the following URL in a new browser window:
.
5. All participants must provide current information for the BAS point of contact, the person
updating the shapefiles, and the Highest Elected Official (HEO) for the government.

Note:

1.2

For participants already familiar with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and BAS updating
procedures, Appendix B and Appendix C provide step-by-step guidelines for making updates.

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
website at: .
If there are any questions or concerns about the participation requirements, contact the Census
Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or .

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

CHAPTER 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 and Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Reference (MAF/TIGER)
system has been a critical resource for supporting the Census Bureau Geographic Partnership
Programs.
The following section will describe how the Census Bureau uses a topologically integrated
system and how this differs from traditional GIS, which use separate layers of data.

2.1

Topological Relationships in the MAF/TIGER System

At the Census Bureau, topology is described as the spatial relationship between different levels
of geography. The MAF/TIGER system 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 areas for which the
Census Bureau tabulates data.
Instead of having a separate layer for each feature class (roads, boundaries, etc.), all
MAF/TIGER system information is stored in one layer or file. See Figure 1 for a sample of a
topologically integrated file in the MAF/TIGER system.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

2.2

Figure 1. Topological Integration of Four Classes
This example shows the topological integration of four different feature
classes into one layer. One road feature represents not only a road, but also
a block boundary, place boundary and a school district boundary.

GIS and Spatial Accuracy

In a GIS, feature classes are often not topologically integrated; they are separated into
individual layers. When these layers are overlaid in a GIS, there may be boundary
misalignments due to the nature of the data. These non-topologically integrated layers could
cause issues in the MAF/TIGER system. Figure 2 and Figure 3 show how files that are not
topologically integrated might appear in a GIS when overlaid.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Figure 2. Overlay of Four Feature Classes
This example shows an overlay of four different feature classes.
Notice how the topological relationship is compromised. The block,
place and school district boundaries, which are supposed to follow the
road feature, are no longer aligned with the road in several locations.

Figure 3. GIS Place Boundary Does Not Follow Road Feature
This example shows a situation where a local GIS place boundary does
not follow a road feature. Assuming that the boundary follows the road
feature in the MAF/TIGER system, changing the Census Bureau place
boundary to match the local file exactly and become misaligned
(see arrows) would dissolve the topological relationship in the
MAF/TIGER system.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

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. Instructions on how to review digital submissions for small spatial
boundary corrections are given in 5.6: Reviewing Changes to the Census Bureau Shapefiles. It
also lists some of the potential consequences of making spatial boundary corrections that
dissolve the topological relationships present in the MAF/TIGER system.
To find step-by-step instructions of suggested methods for correctly making boundary changes,
please see Appendix B and Appendix C.

2.3

Census Bureau Topology Training Video

The Census Bureau created a video on the subject of topology and why topology is important to
BAS. For more information, please go to to watch the video.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

CHAPTER 3

CENSUS BUREAU PROVIDED SHAPEFILES

The Census Bureau provides data layers in Esri shapefile format for download on the BAS
website. Regardless of the number of geographic polygon-based shapefiles each participant
downloads and edits, there is only one shapefile for the linear feature network for each county.
See Table 1 for the names of the shapefiles.
Table 1: BAS Shapefile Naming Conventions
Government Type

Shapefile Naming Convention

County

PVS_20_v2_county_.shp

Minor Civil Division

PVS_20_v2_mcd_.shp

Incorporated Place

PVS_20_v2_place_.shp

Consolidated City

PVS_20_v2_concity_.shp

Edges (Roads, Rail, Hydro, etc.)

PVS_20_v2_edges_.shp

Area Landmarks

PVS_20_v2_arealm_.shp

Point Landmarks

PVS_20_v2_pointlm_.shp

Hydrographic Area

PVS_20_v2_water_.shp

Geographic Offsets / Corridors

PVS_20_v2_offset_.shp

Please download shapefiles from the BAS website at

in order to review the boundaries and submit changes.
Note:

represents the two-digit state FIPS code and three-digit county FIPS code.

All shapefiles provided by the Census Bureau are in the following unprojected geographic-based
coordinate system:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

3.1

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: 298.257222101000020000.

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Codes

The Census Bureau recommends using FIPS codes to identify governments such as counties,
MCDs, and incorporated places. Using a standard coding scheme facilitates the digital exchange
of data. The Census Bureau includes these codes in the BAS shapefiles in the fields that end in
‘FP’. The codes can be found online at . If there are any questions, contact the
Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or .
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

CHAPTER 4

CENSUS BUREAU GEOCODING

Geocoding is how the Census Bureau codes the location of the population within the legal
boundaries of a geographic area. There are two primary methods of geocoding used by the
Census Bureau, and both involve coding an address to a spatial polygon. One uses Global
Positioning System (GPS) technology to create a Master Address File (MAF) structure point
(MSP) and the other uses address ranges for geocoding.

4.1

MAF Structure Point (MSP) Geocoding

A field worker stands in front of a house or living quarters, and records the physical location
with a GPS device (Figure 4). Usually, the GPS point should fall very close to the front door of
the house. However, since GPS points were collected in the field, 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 4. GPS 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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

4.2

Address Range Geocoding

When no MSP 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 5).

Figure 5. 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 has a relationship with the road, boundaries placed on frontlot-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 the MAF/TIGER system. 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 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.
Important:

When completing a BAS submission in which a road or road right-of-way is owned or
maintained by a place 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.

If local or state law requires the use of the front-lot-line boundary, the respondent must
explicitly designate the polygon(s) between the road centerline and the front-lot-boundary as a
corridor or an offset (see 5.3.6, Geographic Corridors and 5.3.7, Geographic Offsets of this
document for more details).
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

CHAPTER 5

UPDATING THE CENSUS BUREAU SHAPEFILES

Census Bureau shapefiles downloaded from the partnership verification shapefiles (PVS)
download page can be used to create new shapefiles for boundary and/or linear feature
changes that have occurred since the last BAS update. Step-by-step instructions for these
procedures can be found in Appendix B and Appendix C and in the BAS video series at
.
Note:

5.1

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.

General File Setup Guidelines

After downloading the shapefiles from the PVS download page, follow these procedures before
beginning actual updates:
•
•
•

5.2

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.

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 ArcGIS, use its ‘Project tool’ in ArcToolbox.
Shapefile extracts contain defined projection information in the *.prj file. ArcGIS accesses 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 change 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 the MAF/TIGER system, participants must create a separate change polygon
layer for each updated government type (county, MCD, place). Please create change polygons
in relation to the current MAF/TIGER boundary.
Appendix B and Appendix C provide two examples for creating annexation and deannexation,
boundary correction, new incorporation, geographic corridor, and geographic offset change
polygons. See Appendix C for specific tools used to make changes to files.
Additionally, Appendix B covers the steps required to complete a submission using the BAS
Partnership Toolbox. The toolbox includes tools to download Census Bureau data, use the
Union geoprocessing tool to create a changes layer containing all the differences between
Census Bureau and local boundaries, and create a ZIP file for submission through SWIM.
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Please review any boundary change polygons before submitting them (5.7, Additional
Information Review).

5.3.1

Annexations and Deannexations

The Census Bureau will accept annexations and deannexations from counties, MCDs, and
incorporated places. For a boundary change to an existing legal government (or the new
incorporation or disincorporation of a legal government) to be processed as a legal change,
participants must provide the legal documentation number (e.g., law or ordinance number),
effective date, and authorization type. They are not required to submit paperwork
documenting the change.
Each annexation or deannexation change polygon must have the required attributes and
corresponding change type populated, as seen in Table 2. The Census Bureau will snap any
annexation or deannexation to a MAF/TIGER feature when it exists within thirty feet of that
feature.
Note:

Enter the name of the jurisdiction annexing or deannexing the area in the NAME field.
Table 2: Annexations and Deannexations
NAME

CHNG_TYPE

EFF_DATE

AUTHTYPE

DOCU
(Not Required
in GA)

AREA
(Required in
GA)

Annexation

X (‘A’)

* See Note

Deannexation

X (‘D’)

* See Note

RELATE

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

Note:

5.3.2

Area in acres is required for Georgia and requested for all other areas.

Boundary Corrections

The Census Bureau will also accept specific boundary corrections from counties, MCDs, and
incorporated places. As with annexations and deannexations, 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 the boundary correction is for in the NAME field.
Table 3: Boundary Corrections

Boundary
Correction

NAME

CHNG_TYPE

X (‘B’)

EFF_DATE

AUTHTYPE

DOCU

AREA

RELATE
X (’IN’, ‘OUT’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

The Census Bureau uses a topologically integrated database. As a result, the Census Bureau
cannot process all types of boundary corrections for inclusion in the MAF/TIGER system. The
Census Bureau will accept and process properly documented boundary corrections during the
current BAS cycle 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.
Where the overall shape of the geographic area is maintained, and no feature-to-boundary
relationships are dissolved.

The Census Bureau will reject boundary corrections:
•
•

•
•

•
Note:

5.3.3

Along county boundaries unless there is a written agreement between the two counties that
documents the correct location of the boundary.
Between adjacent incorporated places or adjacent MCDs unless the county submitting the
changes is part of a Consolidated BAS (CBAS) agreement or there is a written agreement
between the two incorporated places or MCDs.
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 government
boundary. These boundary corrections may be part of annexations that were never reported to
the Census Bureau. If they are previously unreported boundary changes, please include effective
dates and legal documentation numbers for these changes; or
That have a width of less than thirty feet over the entire polygon.
Remember that the Census Bureau will snap any boundary correction to a MAF/TIGER feature
when it exists within thirty feet of that feature.

Boundary Changes to Legal Governments in Georgia and Indiana

For questions about required documentation for a particular jurisdiction, contact the Census
Bureau by phone at 1-800 972-5651 or by email at .
Georgia: Any legal boundary change made to an incorporated place in the state of Georgia
must include: (1) the effective date and (2) the acreage of the legal change. In addition, before
entering the change, ensure that all annexation/deannexation information has been reported
to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The DCA provides the Census Bureau a list of
the governments that reported boundary changes each year. Any legal boundary changes to
incorporated places not on this list will not be placed in the MAF/TIGER system. For additional
information, see: .
Indiana: Per Indiana state law, counties must provide the legal boundary updates for
townships. For more information, refer to Indiana Code 36-6 Government of Townships at
.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.3.4

New Incorporations

Participants may submit new incorporations for incorporated places and MCDs through Digital
BAS. As with other change types, an individual change polygon must be created for each new
incorporation and possess the required attributes and the corresponding change type field
must be populated (see Table 4). Participants should also provide the new incorporation
paperwork (which should include the date of incorporation) as well as information for the HEO
and BAS contact of the newly incorporated government.
Note:

Enter the name of the new jurisdiction in the NAME field. For required documentation for new
incorporations, contact the Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or .
Table 4: New Incorporations
NAME

CHNG_TYPE

EFF_DATE

AUTHTYPE

DOCU

X (‘E’)

New Incorporation

AREA

RELATE

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.3.5

Disincorporations

Participants may submit disincorporations through Digital BAS. As with other change types, an
individual change polygon must be created for each disincorporation and must possess the
required attributes. The corresponding change type must be populated as shown in Table 5.
Participants should also provide the official disincorporation paperwork, which should include
the official date of disincorporation.
Table 5: Disincorporations

Disincorporation

NAME

CHNG_TYPE

EFF_DATE

AUTHTYPE

DOCU

X (‘X’)

AREA

RELATE

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.3.6

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 government,
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 6 shows a corridor (shown in color)
created where the incorporated place owns the right-of-way, but the housing units are not
included in the incorporated place. These are often used to connect two disconnected parts of
a geography when local law does not permit for discontinuous annexations.
Figure 7 shows that the right-of-way belongs in the unincorporated area, while the housing
units are included in the incorporated place (shown in color). This is important for some cities
because they are portraying that the city is not responsible for road maintenance.
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

This is not relevant for Census Bureau tabulations and is not easy to depict in the MAF/TIGER
system. This type of corridor should not be included in a BAS response.

Figure 6. Geographic Corridor Created
Figure 7. Geographic Corridor Not Created
The image on the left (Figure 6) shows that a geographic corridor should be
created to allow for proper geocoding of homes. The image on the right
(Figure 7) 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 6. In the NAME field,
enter the name of the jurisdiction gaining or losing the area associated with the corridor. In the
RELATE field, indicate whether the change is adding IN or taking OUT (removing) the corridor.
Table 6: Geographic Corridors

Geographic
Corridor

NAME

CHNG_TYPE

X (‘C’)

EFF_DATE

AUTHTYPE

DOCU

AREA

RELATE
X (’IN’, ‘OUT’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.3.7

Geographic Offsets

A geographic offset is an area claimed by a government 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 a government boundary to the centerline wherever applicable will help to establish
more accurate population counts. If a boundary is the front-lot-line, the 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 8 depicts a cadastral (parcel-based) boundary map and Figure 9
shows how the boundary should be reported when sent to the Census Bureau.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Figure 8. Cadastral Data
Figure 9. Same Data Edited to Census Requirements
On the left in Figure 8 is an example of cadastral data. Figure 9 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 7. In the NAME field,
enter the name of the jurisdiction gaining or losing the area. In the RELATE field, indicate
whether the change is adding IN or taking OUT (removing) the area represented as an offset.
Table 7: Geographic Offsets

Geographic
Offset

NAME

CHNG_TYPE

X (‘F’)

EFF_DATE

AUTHTYPE

DOCU

AREA

RELATE
X (’IN’,
‘OUT’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

The Census Bureau has included an “offset” shapefile in the BAS materials
(PVS_20_v2_offset_.shp), so that participants’ jurisdiction can be checked for any
existing corridors or offsets. While the Census Bureau prefers that new offsets are not created,
(see above), this information can be helpful in determining if current boundaries are correct.

5.4

Linear Feature Updates

The Census Bureau will accept linear feature modifications when needed. The easiest method
of updating linear features is to edit the PVS_20_v2_edges_.shp included in the
partnership shapefiles and export the modified or added records to a new separate linear
feature update layer. This will ensure all required fields are present and populated before
submission. The general guidelines for updating linear features are:
•
•
•

Note:

If a road, subdivision, etc. is missing from the Census Bureau’s feature network, add the
feature(s), enter ‘AL’ in the CHNG_TYPE field, and provide the name (FULLNAME) and MTFCC.
If a feature that does not exist is in the Census Bureau’s feature network, mark the feature for
deletion by entering ‘DL’ in the CHNG_TYPE field.
If a feature is in the incorrect location in the Census Bureau’s feature network, mark the feature
for deletion 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.
A video on updating linear features is available in the BAS video series at
.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.4.1

Adding, Deleting, Renaming, and Recoding Linear Features

Each linear feature update must have the required attributes and corresponding change type
populated, as seen in Table 8. Preserve the TIGER/Line ID (TLID) in the TLID field when
requesting to modify or delete features to ensure the correct features are affected. A TLID is
not required for any features being added though an MTFCC is required for new features.
Table 8: Linear Feature Updates
CHNG_TYPE
Add Feature

X (‘AL’)

Delete Feature

X (‘DL’)

Rename Feature

X (‘CA’)

Recode Feature
(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

Note:

TLID

FULLNAME

MTFCC

X
X

A list of MAF/TIGER Feature Classification Codes (MTFCC) can be found in Appendix D.

5.4.2

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 the
Census Bureau’s outgoing shapefiles, it is recommended that participants only add address
ranges to new features (see Table 9).
Table 9. Address Range Updates
Address
Ranges

CHNG_TYPE

FULLNAME

MTFCC

LTOADD

RTOADD

LFROMADD

RFROMADD

X (‘AL’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

5.5

Area Landmarks, Hydrographic Areas, and Point Landmarks

Area Landmarks (e.g., lakes) and point landmarks (e.g., mountain peaks) can be updated
through the BAS, but are not required.
Acceptable area landmark updates include water bodies, swamps, quarries, national parks and
forests. Airports, parks, schools, golf courses, museums, and cemeteries may be submitted as
area landmarks or point landmarks.
Acceptable point landmark feature updates include mountain peaks or summits, libraries, city
halls, community centers and police stations. Airports, parks, schools, golf courses, museums,
and cemeteries may be submitted as point landmarks or area landmarks.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.5.2

Area Landmark/Hydrographic 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 hydrographic areas are not
legal governments, so no documentation or effective dates are required.
In order to submit area landmark and hydrographic area updates, create a separate change
polygon layer. Updates to area landmarks and hydrographic areas include:
•
•
•
•

Boundary corrections (adding and removing area).
Creating a new area landmark or hydrographic area.
Removing an area landmark or hydrographic area.
Name changes.

Figure 10. A Boundary Correction to Park A

Each area landmark or hydrographic area update must have the required attributes and
corresponding change type populated. Preserve the Area ID in the AREAID field when
requesting to modify or delete landmarks to ensure the correct areas are affected. An AREAID is
not required for any areas being added though an MTFCC is required for new landmarks (refer
to Table 10).
Table 10: Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas
FULLNAME

CHNG_TYPE

RELATE

Boundary Correction
(Add Area)

X (‘B’)

X (‘IN’)

Boundary Correction
(Remove Area)

X (‘B’)

X (‘OUT’)

Delete Landmark

MTFCC

AREAID

X (‘D’)

X
X

Change Landmark Name

X (‘G’)

New Landmark

X (‘E’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

The steps in Appendix C provide information on how to create change polygons using ArcGIS.
While the sample processes are written for legal boundary changes, the same methods apply
for creating change polygons for area landmarks and hydrographic areas. When adding new
area landmarks or hydrographic areas, only add the following types of areas:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Water bodies.
Glaciers.
Airports.
Cemeteries.
Golf courses.
Parks.

The Census Bureau cannot add other types of areas at this time (although some may already
exist in the MAF/TIGER system). The acceptable MTFCC codes for new area landmarks or
hydrographic areas are listed in Table 11.
Table 11: Acceptable MTFCCs for New Area Landmarks/Hydrographic Areas
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
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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Note:

If adding an MTFCC K2457 (Airport – Area Representation) area landmark, please limit the
updates to major airports (major regional and international airports). The feature should show
the full extent of the airport facility, that is, do not limit the addition to simply the landing
strips.

Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area Changes May Be Delayed
The Census Bureau prioritizes boundary changes to legal areas to meet ACS, PEP, and BAS deadlines.
Therefore, there may be delays in incorporating area landmark and hydrographic area changes to the
MAF/TIGER System. Please do not resubmit any changes that were sent during the previous year’s BAS.
The Census Bureau is working on incorporating those changes, and they will be reflected in the next
year’s BAS materials.

5.5.3

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.
Renaming a point landmark.

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).
C3061 (Cul-de-sacs).

Each point landmark update must have the required attributes and corresponding change type
populated. Preserve the POINTID in the POINTID field when requesting to modify or delete
point landmarks to ensure the correct landmarks are affected. A POINTID is not required for
any landmarks being added though an MTFCC is required for new landmarks.
Table 12: Point Landmark Updates
New Point Landmark

FULLNAME

CHNG_TYPE

MTFCC

X (‘E’)

Delete Point Landmark
Change Name

POINTID

X (‘D’)

X (‘G’)

(Note: ‘X’ = Required Field)

Due to Title 13 privacy concerns, any landmark with an MTFCC shown in Table 13 below cannot
be added to the MAF/TIGER System as a point landmark. The MAF/TIGER system no longer
maintains any point landmarks with these MTFCCs. Landmarks with these codes could identify a
residence or private business. Thus, it is also important not to add any of the point landmark
types shown in the table using alternative MTFCCs.
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Table 13: 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
Point Landmark Changes May Be Delayed

The Census Bureau prioritizes boundary changes to legal areas to meet ACS, PEP, and BAS deadlines.
Therefore, there may be delays in incorporating point landmark changes to the MAF/TIGER system.
Please do not resubmit any changes that were sent during the previous year’s BAS. The Census Bureau is
working on incorporating those changes, and they will be reflected in the next year’s BAS materials.

5.6

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. Videos can be found on the
web at: .

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.6.1

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 (see 2.1, Topological
Relationships in the MAF/TIGER system). Therefore, snap boundaries to street centerlines (or
rivers, railroads, etc.) wherever applicable. This will help establish a more accurate population
count for governments.
Figure 11 and Figure 12 show situations where boundary changes should be snapped to existing
linear features. The Census Bureau will snap boundary changes to any linear feature that is
correctly located within thirty feet of the change.

Figure 11. Boundary Corrections Not Snapped to Existing Linear Features
These boundary corrections are not snapped to existing linear features in
the MAF/TIGER system. Both boundary corrections should be snapped to
centerlines or population may be assigned to incorrect governments.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Figure 12. Annexation Created without Snapping to Centerlines
This is an example of an annexation created without snapping to existing
centerlines in the MAF/TIGER system. Unless the boundary is snapped to
centerlines, some of the population may be assigned to an incorrect
government.

The Census Bureau will not accept boundary corrections that dissolve the current relationship
between an existing boundary and linear feature without specific instruction that the
relationship is incorrect. The Census Bureau will not incorporate any boundary corrections that
create thirty feet or less of gap or overlap between the existing linear feature and boundary
into the MAF/TIGER system. Figure 13 and Figure 14 show examples of changes that will not be
accepted.

Figure 13. Small Spatial Correction Not Incorporated
Small spatial boundary corrections would dissolve the relationship with the
river. These boundary corrections will not be incorporated into the
MAF/TIGER system.
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.6.2

Figure 14. Small Spatial Correction Not Accepted
Small spatial boundary corrections would dissolve the boundary-to-feature
relationship with multiple streets. Incorporating these changes would affect
the population counts for the area. Therefore, the Census Bureau will not
accept these small boundary corrections.

Large Boundary Corrections

The Census Bureau will not accept large boundary corrections to a government without the
appropriate legal documentation numbers and effective dates. These large boundary
corrections (Figure 15) may be legal boundary changes that occurred in the past and were
never reported to the Census Bureau. Please submit the appropriate legal documentation
number and effective date so that the changes may be incorporated into the MAF/TIGER
system.

U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 15. Large Boundary Corrections
Without the appropriate documentation, the Census Bureau will not accept
large boundary corrections.
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Note:

5.6.3

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.

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 the MAF/TIGER system. See 5.3, Boundary
Changes for the required attribute information and corresponding change type codes.

5.6.4

Appropriate Projection Information

It is important that the appropriate projection information is included. Each update layer
submitted should contain a correct *.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 the MAF/TIGER system.

5.6.5

Linear Feature Updates

Please review linear feature changes to ensure that they align with the features currently in the
MAF/TIGER system. If linear feature changes do not align with current MAF/TIGER linear
features, the Census Bureau may not incorporate the submitted updates (Figure 16 and
Figure 17).

Figure 16. New Road Features, Not Added to Existing Road
Figure 17. New Road Features, Correctly Added
The image on the left (Figure 16) shows new road features added to the
existing feature network, but not connected to existing road features. The
image on the right (Figure 17) shows the correction connecting the new
roads to the existing road features.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.7

Additional Information Review

The Census Bureau will not make any boundary change that affects adjacent legal governments
without the appropriate documentation. Please review any change polygons that affect
adjacent governments to determine if they are intentional legal changes.
Note:

5.7.1

The Census Bureau will snap any annexation, deannexation, 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 the MAF/TIGER system and will ensure correct housing
tabulation counts for governments.

Submitting Digital Data

Participants reporting changes to the BAS are required to submit at least the change polygon
shapefile. The total number of shapefiles submitted depends on what types of changes are
reported. The following is a list of change files may be needed:
1. Change Polygon Layers (county, MCD, incorporated place, and consolidated city)
• These layers consist of the changes that the Census Bureau needs to make.
A layer of change polygons should be created for each level of geography (county, MCD,
place, etc.) for which changes are being submitted.
Whole Modified Entity Layer (county, minor civil division, incorporated place, and
consolidated city)
• These layers should only contain the complete and current boundary for the government
being updated.
• A whole entity layer should be created for each level of geography for which change
polygons are being created.
Local Government Feature Network, Parcel, and Boundary Layers (optional)
• These layers will help the Census Bureau resolve any questionable change polygons and
establish the correct boundary-to-feature relationships.
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 requiring a correction.
Area Landmarks/Hydrographic Areas Update Layer
• An area landmark/hydrographic area update layer should be submitted only if there are
area landmark and/or hydrographic area updates.
Point Landmark Update Layer
• A point landmark update layer should be submitted only if there are point landmark
updates.
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:
.
• This update should include the following information:
First Name.
Last Name.
Department.
Position.
Shipping Address.
•

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

City.
State.
ZIP Code.
Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Fax: xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Email.
HEO Term Expires: mm/yyyy.
HEO Term Length: x years.

5.7.2

Change Polygon Layer Naming Conventions

The following table provides change polygon layer naming conventions for county submissions,
MCDs, incorporated places, and consolidated cities. The in the change polygon layer
naming conventions represents the participant’s BAS ID, found on the BAS Annual Response
email or online from this link: .
Table 14: Change Polygons
Participant

5.7.3

Submitting Changes For:

Shapefile Naming Conventions

County

bas21__changes_county.shp

County

Minor Civil Division

bas21__changes_cousub.shp

County

Incorporated Place

bas21__changes_incplace.shp

Minor Civil Division

bas21__changes_cousub.shp

Incorporated Place

bas21__changes_incplace.shp

Consolidated City

bas21__changes_concity.shp

Whole Entity Polygon Layer Naming Conventions

The following table provides the whole entity polygon layer naming conventions for county,
minor civil divisions, incorporated places, and consolidated cities. The in the whole
entity polygon layer naming conventions represents the participant’s BAS ID, found on the BAS
Annual Response email or online from this link: .
Table 15: Whole Entity Polygon Layer Naming Conventions
Participant

Changes Submitted For:

Shapefile Naming Conventions

County

bas21__WholeEntity_county.shp

County

Minor Civil Division

bas21__WholeEntity_cousub.shp

County

Incorporated Place

bas21__WholeEntity_incplace.shp

Minor Civil Division

bas21__WholeEntity_cousub.shp

Incorporated Place

bas21__WholeEntity_incplace.shp

Consolidated City

bas21__WholeEntity_concity.shp

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

5.7.5

Linear Feature, Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area, and Point Landmark
Updates

The following table provides the update layer naming conventions for the edges, area
landmark, and point landmark update layers (not required). The in the naming
conventions for the edges, area landmark, and point landmark update layers represents the
participant’s BAS ID found on the BAS Annual Response email or online from this link:
.
Table 16: Optional Files
Participant

5.7.6

Changes Submitted For:

Shapefile Naming Conventions

All Participants

Edges

bas21__LN_Changes.shp

All Participants

Area Landmarks/
Hydrographic Areas

bas21__Alndk_Changes.shp

All Participants

Point Landmarks

bas21__Plndk_Changes.shp

Compressing the Digital Files

The Census Bureau requires participants to submit all BAS returns through SWIM as
compressed (zipped) files. Please compress ALL updated materials (including change polygon
shapefiles, whole entity shapefiles, linear feature updates, landmark updates, local government
feature network and boundary layers, any supporting documentation, and the text or other file
with the participant’s updated BAS contact information) as zipped files.
Note:

Centerline files or any additional information that may be helpful for Census to process the
participant’s file are 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.

Refer to Figure 18 and the steps listed below to compress digital files:

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

1. Navigate to the directory with the shapefiles.
2. Select all files and right click on the selection.
3. Select WinZip, and then Add to ZIP file.

Figure 18. Selecting and Zipping Return Files

Note:

Versions of WinZip may vary so the interface may be slightly different. Software other than
WinZip (e.g., 7zip) may be used to ZIP the return files.

4. In the Add window, in the Add to archive field, type the filename in the proper naming
convention: bas21__return and then click Add (Figure 19).

Note:

Look for the BAS ID number on the BAS Annual Response email or online from this link:
.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Figure 19. Naming the ZIP File

5. Check the folder where the ZIP file was saved to verify that it was created properly. If the ZIP file
is correct, then the return file is ready for submission.
Note:

5.7.7

If assistance is required in preparing or zipping the BAS return files, please call the Census
Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or email .

Submitting Digital Files through SWIM

SWIM is a one-stop location for submitting 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.
Do not send submissions as an email attachment, as the Census Bureau cannot accept them
due to security policy.
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
. 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 participants have registered
for an account in SWIM, they will no longer need the token to login into the system. If
participants require additional individual SWIM accounts within their organization, please
contact the Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or email .

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Current SWIM Users
If participants are participating in other Census Bureau partnership programs, or have participated in
previous BAS years, and already have SWIM accounts, they may use their current account to submit files
for BAS. They do not need to set up a new account.
Participants will not be able to upload a file larger than 250 MB.

SWIM blocks participants from uploading a ZIP file that contains another ZIP file.

Follow the instructions listed below:
1.
2.
3.

In a web browser, navigate to .
Log in:
New Users: Participants must have a registration token to create a new account (please see
above on how to obtain a SWIM token). Once participants have their token, they should signup 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.

Figure 20. SWIM Account Registration

Existing Users: If participants already have a registered account from a previous BAS year,
they should log in with their user credentials.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

Figure 21. SWIM Login Window

If participants have submitted files before, SWIM lists them on the startup screen upon login.
Click 'Start New Upload' to continue.

Figure 22. Welcome Screen with Upload History

On the next screen, select the “Boundary Annexation Survey (BAS)” option as the geographic
partnership program, and click ‘Next’ to continue.

Figure 23. Geographic Partnership Program Selection Window

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

On this screen, participants will select a geographic level. This is the geography type of their
agency (e.g., if submitting data for a county government, select county. If an incorporated
place, then select place...etc.). Click 'Next' to continue.

Figure 24. Geographic Level Selection Window

Participants will find the name of their government using the drop-down selectors. These
options dynamically update based on the geography type selected from the previous screen.
Click ‘Next’ to continue.

Figure 25. Government Selection Window

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

Figure 26. File Upload Screen

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

10.

In the file browser dialog box, select the ZIP file that is to be uploaded. Please be aware that
the SWIM website only accepts ZIP files. Click 'Open' to continue.

Figure 27. File Browser Dialog Box

11.

At this time, participants may enter any comments that they wish to include with their file.
Click 'Next' to upload the submission.

Figure 28. Entering Comments into the File Upload Window

12.

The final screen will be a ‘Thank You’ screen confirming receipt of the file submission. If this
screen does not appear, or if issues occur during this upload process, please contact the
Census Bureau at 1-800-972-5651 or .

Figure 29. Thank You Screen

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

APPENDICES

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U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

APPENDIX A

DATA DICTIONARY
Table 17: County and Equivalent Areas Shapefile

ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

COUNTYNS

String

ANSI feature code for the county or equivalent feature

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD code

LSAD

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT

String

Functional status

CLASSFP

String

FIPS 55 class code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

String

Authorization type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L –
Local Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

String

Record ID (GUPS only)

AREA

Double

Area of update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

NAME

100

String

Entity name

VINTAGE

String

Vintage of the data

Table 18: County Subdivisions Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

COUSUBFP

String

FIPS 55 county subdivision code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

COUSUBNS

String

ANSI feature code for the county subdivision

LSAD

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

String

Functional status

CLASSFP

String

FIPS 55 class code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

String

Authorization type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L –
Local Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

A-1

ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

FORM_ID

String

Record ID (GUPS only)

AREA

Double

Area of update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

NAME

100

String

Entity name

VINTAGE

String

Vintage of the data

Table 19: Incorporated Place Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

PLACEFP

String

FIPS 55 place code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

PLACENS

String

ANSI feature code for the place

LSAD

String

Legal / Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

String

Functional status

CLASSFP

String

FIPS 55 class code describing and entity

PARTFLG

String

Indicates if only part of a feature is represented

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

String

Authorization type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L –
Local Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

String

Record ID (GUPS only)

AREA

Double

Area of update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

NAME

100

String

Entity name

VINTAGE

String

Vintage of the data

Table 20: Consolidated City Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

CONCITYFP

String

FIPS 55 place code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

PLACENS

String

ANSI feature code for the place

LSAD

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

String

Functional status

CLASSFP

String

FIPS 55 class code describing an entity

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

A-2

ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

PARTFLG

String

Indicates if only part of a feature is represented

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

Date

Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE

String

Authorization type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L –
Local Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

String

Record ID (GUPS only)

AREA

Double

Acreage of update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

NAME

100

String

Entity name

VINTAGE

String

Vintage of the data

Table 21: Edges Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

TLID

Double

Permanent edge ID

TFIDL

Double

Permanent face ID (left)

TFIDR

Double

Permanent face ID (right)

MTFCC

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FIDELITY

String

Indication to a respondent when their entity boundary
has changed through spatial enhancement

FULLNAME

String

Decoded feature name with abbreviated qualifier,
direction, and feature type

SMID

String

Spatial Theta ID

SMIDTYPE

String

SMIDTYPE code

BBSPFLG

String

Redistricting data project participant’s submitted request
of an EDGE for selection as a block boundary

CBBFLG

String

Indicates the status of an EDGE for a selection as a block
boundary

BBSP_2020

String

New BBSP flag

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of linear feature update

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

LTOADD

String

Left To Address

RTOADD

String

Right To Address

LFROMADD

String

Left From Address

RFROMADD

String

Right From Address

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

A-3

ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

ZIPL

String

Left ZIP Code

ZIPR

String

Right ZIP Code

EXTTYP

Char

Extension type

MTUPDATE

Date

Date of last update to the edge

Table 22: Area Landmark Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

MTFCC

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME

120

String

Area landmark name

PARTFLG

String

Indicates if only part of a feature is represented

AREAID

String

Object ID

ANSICODE

String

ANSI code for area landmarks

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of area landmark update

EFF_DATE

Date

Effective date or vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

BAG

String

Block area grouping

Table 23: Hydrographic Area Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

ANSICODE

String

ANSI code for hydrography area

MTFCC

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME

120

String

Hydro landmark name

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of hydrographic area update

HYDROID

String

Object ID

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

Table 24: Point Landmark Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

POINTID

String

Object ID

ANSICODE

String

ANSI code for point landmarks

MTFCC

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

A-4

ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

FULLNAME

120

String

Point landmark name

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of point landmark update

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

Table 25: Geographic Offset Shapefile
ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

TFID

Integer

Permanent Face ID

STATEFP

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

String

FIPS County Code

OFFSET

String

Geographic Offset / Corridor Flag

ADDEXCLUDE

String

Address Exclusion Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

Date

Effective date or vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

String

Justification of change

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

A-5

APPENDIX B

2021 BAS EXAMPLE PROCESS 1

The 2021 BAS Example Process 1 provides step-by-step instructions for using the BAS
Partnership Toolbox to facilitate the updating process. For best results, use the toolbox in
ArcGIS 10.0 and higher (not including ArcGIS Pro).

How to Use the BAS Partnership Toolbox

In an effort to ease the burden of creating BAS updates, a toolbox was developed for ArcGIS.
This toolbox simplifies the updating process by automating the downloading of data, creating
changes, removing slivers, formatting and checking attribution, and preparing/exporting files
for submission. Before running these tools, users will need the following:
•

•
•

The Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital which can be
downloaded at: download the guide at:
.
The BAS Partnership Toolbox, which can be downloaded at:
.
The BAS ID for the government being processed. This can be found on the BAS Annual
Response email or online at: .

•

A shapefile or feature class showing the legal boundary of the government.
Data in this layer should have data including the name of the government being processed
formatted to agree with the Census Bureau’s naming convention for the same government
as found in the NAME field or the NAMELSAD field for Minor Civil Division (MCD) and
American Indian / Alaska Native / Native Hawaiian (AIANNH).

•

The 2021 BAS Partnership Shapefiles located at:
.

Toolbox Tools Setup

These toolbox tools were designed primarily for use in ArcCatalog though they run in ArcMap as
well. The instructions for most steps are assuming use in ArcCatalog.
Unzip the Digital BAS Partnership Tools.zip to the C: drive or other preferred working folder.
The folder location does not matter as long as it can be accessed from ArcCatalog. Inside there
will be a folder called DBAS, containing all the files to work with for a government. Open
ArcCatalog and connect to the DBAS folder. When expanded, the following should be visible:

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-1

Figure 30. Partnership BAS Tools Menu

Note:

To connect to a folder in ArcCatalog, click on the Connect to Folder button on the Standard
Toolbar, find the DBAS folder, and then click OK.

Census Data Download Tool

The Census Data Download tool will gather all the partnership shapefile data needed to create
changes from the Census Bureau website. If the data is on a Census Bureau provided disc, this
tool will also work but only if the data is loaded to the computer before running the tool. This
tool can also use the ZIP files downloaded from the 2021 BAS Partnership Shapefiles site:

and outlined in Chapter 3. Please follow the steps below to run the Census Data Download tool.
Expand the DBAS folder and the setup subfolder. In the setup folder, find the Partnership
Toolbox. Expand the toolbox and double click on the 1) Census Data Download tool.

Figure 31. Partnership BAS Tools Menu with Census Data Download Selected

There are two ways to use this tool: one that downloads the data from the Census Bureau for
the user and one that takes in a folder with the Census Bureau data already downloaded. If you
have already downloaded the data, you must unzip the downloaded pvs batch ZIP file (e.g.
pvs_batch_from_) to display the partnership shapefiles ZIP files (e.g.
partnership_shapefiles_20v2_ and partnership_shapefiles_20v2_). The tool will look
for these partnership_shapefiles ZIP files when it runs.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-2

Enter the 11-digit BAS ID in the User’s BAS ID field. If you are a county participant,
responding for the governments within your jurisdiction, you will enter the County BAS ID.
Select Yes or No under the Use Data Downloader? field. If you select No, you must enter a
path to the already downloaded partnership shapefiles in the next field.
Navigate or drag the folder into Path to ZIP files field. Make sure the folder only contains
the Census Bureau ZIP files to ensure there are no future data issues.

•
•
•

This example shows how a user would complete the fields to have data downloaded for them.

Figure 32. The Census Data Download Window with ‘Yes’ in the Use Data Downloader Field

This example shows how a user would complete the fields if they already have the partnership
shapefiles downloaded and saved on their computer.

Figure 33. The Census Data Download Window with ‘No’ in the Use Data Downloader Field

Click OK to run.
When this tool is complete, there should now be a folder for the BAS ID in the projects folder.
Inside that folder, there will be a geodatabase with reference data in it and an archive folder.

Figure 34. Partnership Tools Menu Showing a Folder for the BAS ID in the Projects Folder

Note:

The archive folder contains other Census Bureau data that may be useful as well.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-3

Create Changes Tool

Once the necessary Census Bureau data is obtained, run the 2) Create Changes tool to create
the change polygons. Before this tool can successfully complete, there must be an attribute
field in the local boundary layer that contains the name of the government or governments as
they appear in Census Bureau records (Figure 35). This includes matching capitalization,
spacing, and in the case of MCDs a descriptor of the geography (e.g. township, village, borough,
etc.) which can be found in the NAMELSAD field of the bas_cousub layer in the reference
feature dataset (Figure 36). If it is a new entity or the legal name is changing, it does not need
to agree though other attribution must be updated to reflect this change.

Figure 35. NAME Field in Census Data vs Local Boundary Data
The bas_place layer on the left shows how the Census Bureau NAME
field is populated for all the places in Butler County, PA while the local
places data shows how local data may need to be manipulated to agree
with the Census Bureau NAME field.

Figure 36. Appropriate Attribution for COUSUB or AIANNH Changes
The bas_cousub attribution on the left in the NAMELSAD field shows
how the local MUNICIPALI field on the right should be formatted to
ensure that the Create Changes tool works for the MCD changes in
Butler County, PA.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-4

Double click on 2) Create Changes tool.

Figure 37. Partnership Tools Menu with Create Changes Tool Selected

In the Create Changes window:
• In the Local Boundary File field, enter the path or navigate to the full boundary polygon.
• Enter the 11-digit BAS ID in the BAS ID field.
• Under Changes Being Processed, choose the type of changes to create from the dropdown
options:
a. Incplace (incorporated place).
b. County.
c. Cousub (MCDs).
d. AIANNH (Tribal areas).
• For the Name Field in Local Data, the boundary file may need to be modified to agree with a
field in the Census Bureau’s data. Type the name of the field (as it appears in ArcCatalog)
containing the information matching the Census Bureau’s NAME field. If processing an MCD
or AIANNH file where the Census Bureau NAME field contains duplicates, match the Census
Bureau’s NAMELSAD.

Figure 38. Create Changes Window

Click OK to run the tool.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-5

Once the tool is complete, the output will be placed in the geodatabase under the submission
feature dataset.

Figure 39. Partnership Tools Menu with Geodatabase

Repeat steps for any other levels of geography that need changes created.

Sliver Blaster Tool (Optional)

The Sliver Blaster tool is useful for governments that have numerous very small change
polygons that are time consuming to manually parse through for deletion. Since the Census
Bureau cannot guarantee inclusion of changes under 30 feet, use this tool to remove changes
that are lower than that threshold. Participants can also change the tolerance for slivers if they
know there are small changes that need to be included. This automated tool will vary in
processing time depending on the number of features in the entity.
Double click on the 3) Sliver Blaster tool.

Figure 40. Partnership Tools Menu with Sliver Blaster Selected

In the Sliver Blaster tool window:
• The Changes File refers to the file created in the previous step, found in the submission
feature dataset.
• The Census Edges feature class is found in the reference feature dataset and is called
bas_edges.
• The Buffer Distance field is set to 30 feet by default, but this can be adjusted to
accommodate smaller changes.
Click OK to run.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-6

Figure 41. Sliver Blaster Window

Format Working MXD Tool (Optional)

The intent of this tool is to create a map document (.mxd) for users containing their change file
and the reference layers they will need to finalize a submission. If users would prefer to use
their own .mxd, this step is not required.
Double click on the 4) Format Working MXD tool.

Figure 42. Partnership Tools Menu with Format Working MXD Selected

The only input for this tool is the Working Folder, which is the folder with the governments BAS
ID as its name.

Figure 43. Format Working MXD Window
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-7

Click OK to run the tool.
Open the new .mxd and begin working with the change polygons.

Figure 44. Projects Submenu with mxd file Selected

Attribute Check Tool

This tool is used to verify that there are no inconsistencies with the data included in the
submission. Run this tool during or after change polygons have been reviewed for spatial
accuracy to produce a report of attribution errors (see 5.6 for guidance on conducting a spatial
review). It may also run for all levels of geography that have changes since it is run on each
individual change file.
Double click on the 5) Attribute Check tool.

Figure 45. Partnership Tools Menu with Attribute Check Selected

In the Attribute Check window:
• The Change File should be the change file created in tool 2) Create Changes for which to
generate a report.
• In Geography Type, chose the type of geography being worked on from the dropdown. The
same options as the Create Changes tool are available here.
• The last input is the optional check box for Includes Changes in Georgia. This box only needs
to be checked if responding in the state of Georgia.

Figure 46. Attribute Check Window
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-8

Click OK to run the tool.
There should now be a text file in the working folder called attribute_check_.txt
containing all the discrepancies identified in the change file that still need to be fixed.

Figure 47. Projects Submenu Showing an attribute_check Text File

Export Submission Tool

Upon review of the changes file and the attribute error report, the finalized changes may be
exported for submission to the Census Bureau. This tool can also be used to provide updated
contact information with the submission.
Note: This tool does not submit the changes, it just makes a file for submission. Please follow
Step 9 for submission guidelines.
Double click on the 6) Export Submission Files tool.

Figure 48. Partnership Tools Menu with Export Submission Files Selected

In the Export Submission Files tool window:
• Enter the 11-digit BAS ID in the BAS ID field.
• Under Additional Files, drag in or navigate to any additional files to be included in the
submission. This can include parcel data, legal documentation, or any other helpful
supporting data. This is an optional field so it can also be left blank. There is no need to add
the changes layers here as the tool will handle those already based on the BAS ID.
• For BAS Contact, Entity Name, Contact Title or Department Name, Address, Email, and
Phone Number, please include any or all contact information updates that are to be sent to
the Census Bureau. These fields can be left blank if there are no updates, though if someone
other than the BAS Contact prepared the submission, include the contact information.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

B-9

Figure 49. Export Submission Files Window

Click OK to run the tool.

Submitting Files through the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM)

The Census Bureau requires participants to submit updated BAS materials as ZIP files using the
Census Bureau’s SWIM site. Please submit only the ZIP file(s). SWIM is located at
. For instructions on how to use SWIM, see 5.7.6,
Submitting Digital Files through SWIM.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital
B-10

APPENDIX C

2021 DIGITAL BAS EXAMPLE PROCESS 2

The 2021 Digital BAS Example Process 2 provides step-by-step instructions for participants
creating their own change shapefiles using ArcGIS.

Required Census Bureau Shapefiles

When downloading shapefiles for the 2021 BAS, shapefiles will begin with the prefix PVS (e.g.,
PVS_20_v2_edges_.shp). Throughout this guide, Census Bureau uses the prefix of
bas_2021, but the PVS files are exactly the same.
Copy the data to a hard drive/server and unzip the data to ensure that the correct data was
downloaded. For an incorporated place, these layers are critical:
•

PVS_20_v2_place_.shp

•

PVS_20_v2_edges_.shp

Note:

represents the two-digit state code and three-digit county code.

The shapefiles should include the home county/counties as well as all adjacent counties
(if necessary).
Note:

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

Local Data

The minimum data necessary is a jurisdiction polygon shapefile showing only the outer
boundary or boundaries. Local parcel files are not acceptable for this method. If each
jurisdiction’s boundaries are contiguous, the file should contain only one polygon for each
government; if some of the governments within the jurisdiction are non-contiguous, they may
be saved as a multi-part polygon or consist of one polygon for each disjointed part. Other local
data layers that may be helpful, if available, include centerline data, hydrography, railroad or
other linear feature data, and imagery.

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 26.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-1

Table 26: Suggested MTFCC Symbolization
MTFCC 1st Character

Linear Feature Type

Hydrographic

Non-Visible Feature (boundary)

Railroad

Road

Symbol

Symbolizing Geographic Areas

Symbolize the place layer using Fill Color of RGB (255, 235, 190) with no outline.
Note:

County participants with many adjacent incorporated places may want to use different colors
to distinguish one place from another.

Figure 50. Suggested Map Symbolization

Extracting Incorporated Place or MCD Data from Census Shapefiles

Participants submitting for a single incorporated place or MCD will need to extract their
government from the appropriate data layer.
Note:

County participants submitting county boundary changes can skip this step. Use the
PVS_20_v2_county_ shapefile which only contains the county boundary. Counties
submitting for multiple incorporated places or MCDs skip ahead to C6, Merging Multipart
Place Data.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-2

C5.1 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_20_v2_{place|mcd}_.
• Double click “NAME.”
• Left click the = button.
• Click the Get Unique Values button.
• In the list, locate and double click the name of the government (It will appear in the
formula).
• Click OK.

Figure 51. Filtering Data

C5.2 Exporting the Data to a New Shapefile
1. In the Table of Contents, right click the Incorporated Place or MCD layer, select Data, and then
click Export Data.
2. In the Export Data window:
• From the Export dropdown, choose Selected Features.
• In the Output feature class field, enter a location to save the shapefile.
• Click OK.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-3

Figure 52. Export Data Window

Note:

If the incorporated place spans more than one county, it will need to be exported from each
county’s place shapefile and merged. Follow the instructions in C6, Merging Multipart Place
Data if the incorporated place needs to merge, otherwise skip to C7.2, Creating Change
Polygons Using Union.

Merging Multipart Place 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 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.
• Click OK.

Figure53. Finalizing the Merge Process
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-4

Creating Change Polygons

There are two methods used for creating change polygons. Symmetrical Difference is the
recommended method for single geographic areas and those with an appropriate ArcGIS
license. Steps for using a symmetrical difference are outlined in C7.1, Creating Change Polygons
Using Symmetrical Difference. Otherwise, the Union method is acceptable and outlined in
C7.2, Creating Change Polygons Using Union.

C7.1 Creating Change Polygons Using Symmetrical Difference
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 created in C6,
Merging Multipart Place Data if the Census Bureau data required merging.

•

In the Update Features field, click the arrow (or browse) and select the local government
boundary layer (the participant’s data).

•

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

•

Name the shapefile Differences_between_BAS_local, Differences1, or anything easy to
find/remember.

•

Click OK.

Figure 54. Finalizing the Symmetrical Difference Process

Note:

This process creates a layer that contains 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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-5

3. Turn on Editing (using the Editing dropdown in the Editor toolbar). Select all records in the layer
that were created in the Symmetrical Difference step.
4. On the Advanced Editing toolbar, click the Explode tool
separate record for each change.

. The layer will now contain a

The created layer shows individual change polygons representing the differences between the
Census Bureau and local government boundaries. Please review these differences and code
them appropriately.
Skip to C8, Reviewing and Attributing Change Polygons.

C7.2 Creating Change Polygons Using Union
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_20_v2_{place|mcd}_, and the local incorporated place or MCD layer.
• In the Output Feature Class, browse to and select a location to save the shapefile.
o Name the shapefile Export_Output_union, or Union, or anything easy to
find/remember.
• Click OK.

Figure 55. 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 government boundary layers.
The next step is selecting and deleting the areas in common between the Census Bureau and
local government boundary layers.
U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-6

1. On the Editor toolbar, click Editor, and then click Start Editing.
2. If a Start Editing window opens, in the top pane click to highlight the union shapefile, and then
click OK.

Figure 56. Locating the Union Shapefile

3. In ArcMap, in the Tools toolbar, click the Select Features
button.
• Locate features on the map that the Census Bureau and the local government 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.
4. Repeat these steps until only the features that have changed are left in the map.
5. 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.
6. Select all of the remaining records in the layer that was created in the Union step.
7. On the Advanced Editing toolbar, click the Explode tool
separate record for each change.

. The layer will now contain a

The new layer shows individual change polygons representing the differences between the
Census Bureau and the local government’s representation of the boundaries. Please review
these differences make sure they are coded appropriately. Continue to the next section for
instructions on reviewing and coding change polygons.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-7

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 5.3, Boundary Changes in
the main part of this guide to look for polygons that should be deleted from the submission, as
well as those that should be snapped to nearby visible features to maintain boundary-tofeature relationships.

C8.1 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 57. Small Slivers That Should Be Deleted
The examples in Figure 57 show small slivers along rivers (left) or roads
(right) that should be deleted.

C9
Note:

Figure 58. Polygons (Before and After) Snapped to Roads or Rivers
The two examples one the left show polygons that should be snapped to
rivers (left) or roads (right). The two examples on the right show how a
snapped area will look.

Attribute Information

All updates MUST be attributed. Table 2, Table 3, and Table 4 in 5.3, Boundary Changes cover
the required attributes.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-8

C9.1 To Begin Updating Attributes for Annexation
•

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

•

On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool

•
•

On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes
button.
In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for an annexation:
o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, AUTHTYPE, DOCU and EFF_DATE.
o The CHNG_TYPE for an annexation is A.

button and select the annexation polygon.

C9.2 To Begin Updating Attributes for Deannexation
•

On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool

•
•

On the Editor Toolbar, click the Attributes
button.
In the Attributes window, fill out the mandatory fields required for a deannexation:
o NAME, CHNG_TYPE, AUTHTYPE, DOCU and EFF_DATE.
o

button and select the deannexation polygon.

The CHNG_TYPE for an annexation is D.

C9.3 To Begin Updating Attributes for Geographic Corridors
•

On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool

•
•

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

button and select the corridor polygon.

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.

C9.4 To Begin Updating Attributes for Geographic Offsets
•

On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool

•
•

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.

button and select the offset polygon.

The CHNG_TYPE for an offset change is F.

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.

C9.5 To Finish Updating Attributes
•

Once all attribute changes have been made, in the ArcMap menu, click Editor, and then click
Stop Editing. (In the Save window, click Yes.)

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-9

C10

Renaming and Finalizing Change Polygons

After creating and coding all change polygons, please rename the change polygon layer prior to
its submission to the Census Bureau. This process must be completed for each level of
geography (county, place, MCD) that has changes.

C10.1 Renaming the Shapefile

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:
bas21__changes_.
Note:

The BAS ID numbers can be found on the BAS Annual Response email or online from this link:

Note:

See 5.7.5, Compressing the Digital Files for instructions on zipping updates.

C10.2 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
. For instructions on how to use SWIM, see 5.7.6,
Submitting Digital Files through SWIM of this respondent guide.

C10.3 To Begin Updating Attributes for Boundary Corrections
•

On the Editor Toolbar, click the Edit Tool
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.

Note:

button and select the boundary correction

The CHNG_TYPE for a boundary correction is B.

In the RELATE field, enter IN if the boundary correction is adding area or OUT if the
boundary correction is removing area.
If a county is reporting for adjacent incorporated places or MCDs, and a boundary correction
to one government affect or takes land from another, use RELATE = IN and NAME =
. 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 governments.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

C-10

APPENDIX D

MTFCC DESCRIPTIONS

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.
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 water-filled),
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.

C3070

Tower/Beacon

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter generally used for
observation, storage, or electronic transmission.

C3071

Lookout Tower

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for observation.

C3072

Transmission Tower
including cell, radio and TV

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for electronic
transmission.

C3073

Water Tower

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for water
storage.

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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-1

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

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.

C3088

Landfill

A disposal facility at which solid waste is placed on or in the land.

G2100

American Indian Area

A legally defined state- or federally recognized reservation and/or offreservation trust land (excludes statistical American Indian areas).

G2101

American Indian Area
(Reservation Only)

American Indian Area (Reservation Only)

G2102

American Indian Area (OffReservation Trust Land
Only)

American Indian Area (Off-Reservation Trust Land Only)

G2120

Hawaiian Homeland

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 state-recognized 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 off-reservation trust
land, delineated by American Indian tribal participants or the Census
Bureau for the purpose of presenting demographic data.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-2

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

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.

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

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 (barriospueblo and barrios) in Puerto Rico.

G4110

Incorporated Place

A legal entity incorporated under state law to provide general-purpose
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

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-3

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description
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.

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.

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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-4

MTFCC

Feature Class

G6100

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.

G6340

ZIP Code Tabulation Area
(Three-Digit)

An approximate statistical-area representation of a U.S. Postal Service
(USPS) 3-digit ZIP Code service area.

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].

K1121

Apartment Building or
Complex

A building or group of buildings that contain multiple living quarters
generally for which rent is paid.

K1223

Trailer Court or Mobile
Home Park

An area in which parking space for house trailers is rented, usually
providing utilities and services.

U.S. Census Bureau

Feature Class Description

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-5

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

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.

K1226

Housing Facility/Dormitory
for Workers

A structure providing housing for a number of persons employed as
semi-permanent or seasonal laborers.

K1227

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

A structure providing transient lodging or living quarters, generally for
some payment.

K1228

Campground

An area used for setting up mobile temporary living quarters (camp) or
holding a camp meeting, sometimes providing utilities and other
amenities.

K1229

Shelter or Mission

A structure providing low-cost or free-living quarters established by a
welfare or educational organization for the needy people of a district.

K1231

Hospital/Hospice/Urgent
Care Facility

One or more structures where the sick or injured may receive medical
or surgical attention [including infirmary].

K1233

Nursing Home, Retirement
Home, or Home for the
Aged

A structure to house and provide care for the elderly.

K1234

County Home or Poor
Farm

One or more structures administered by a local government that serve
as living quarters for the indigent.

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.

K1241

Sorority, Fraternity, or
College Dormitory

One or more structures associated with a social or educational
organization that serve as living quarters for college students.

K2100

Governmental

A place where employees are employed in federal, state, local, or tribal
government.

K2146

Community Center

A meeting place used by members of a community for social, cultural,
or recreational purposes.

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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-6

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

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.

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 (quasipublic, 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.

K2300

Commercial Workplace

A place of employment for wholesale, retail, or other trade

K2361

Shopping Center or Major
Retail Center

A group of retail establishments within a planned subdivision sharing a
common parking area.

K2362

Industrial Building or
Industrial Park

One or more manufacturing establishments within an area zoned for
fabrication, construction, or other similar trades.

K2363

Office Building or Office
Park

One or more structures housing employees performing business,
clerical, or professional services

K2364

Farm/Vineyard/Winery/Or
chard

An agricultural establishment where crops are grown and/or animals
are raised, usually for food.

K2366

Other Employment Center

A place of employments not elsewhere classified or of unknown type.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-7

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

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.

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.

K2564

Amusement Center

A facility that offers entertainment performances or sporting events.
Examples include arena, auditorium, theater, stadium, coliseum,
racecourse, theme park, fairgrounds, and shooting range.

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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-8

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

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.

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 aerial
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.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-9

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

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.

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 2020.

U.S. Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital

D-10

File Type	application/pdf
File Title	Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Respondent Guide: Digital
Author	U.S. Census Bureau
File Modified	2020-12-07
File Created	2020-12-07