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Supplemental Technical and Background Information for the Boundary and Annexation Survey
Last Updated January 2025.
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... v
Chapter 1 Census Bureau Systems and Data Integrity .......................................................... 1
1.1
Topological Relationships in the MAF/TIGER System...................................................... 1
1.2
GIS and Spatial Accuracy.................................................................................................. 2
1.3
Census Bureau Geocoding ............................................................................................... 3
1.3.1 MSP Geocoding ........................................................................................................... 3
1.3.2 Address Range Geocoding........................................................................................... 4
1.3.3 Geocoding, Boundaries, and BAS Submissions ........................................................... 5
Chapter 2 BAS Submission Information................................................................................ 6
2.1
BAS IDs and Geographic Codes ........................................................................................ 6
2.2
Submission File Naming Convention ............................................................................... 6
2.2.1 Change Polygon Shapefile ........................................................................................... 6
2.2.2 Whole Entity Polygon Shapefile .................................................................................. 7
2.2.3 Linear Feature Change Shapefile ................................................................................ 7
Chapter 3 Submission Types ................................................................................................ 8
3.1
Legal Boundary Submissions............................................................................................ 8
3.1.1 Legal Boundary Changes ............................................................................................. 8
3.1.2 Boundary Corrections ................................................................................................. 9
3.1.3 Geographic Corridors .................................................................................................. 9
3.1.4 Geographic Offsets .................................................................................................... 10
3.1.5 Tribal Subdivisions..................................................................................................... 11
3.2
CDP Submissions ............................................................................................................ 11
3.3
Linear Feature Submissions ........................................................................................... 11
Chapter 4 BAS Partnership Shapefiles ................................................................................ 12
4.1
Accessing the BAS Partnership Shapefiles ..................................................................... 12
4.2
Shapefile Names ............................................................................................................ 12
4.3
Shapefile Layouts ........................................................................................................... 15
4.4
MTFCC Descriptions ....................................................................................................... 23
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Change Polygon Shapefile Naming Conventions .............................................................. 6
Table 2: Whole Entity Polygon Shapefile Naming Conventions ..................................................... 7
Table 3: Linear Feature Change Shapefile Naming Convention ..................................................... 7
Table 4: State Shapefile Names .................................................................................................... 12
Table 5: County Shapefile Names ................................................................................................. 13
Table 6: Relationship Table Names............................................................................................... 15
Table 7: All Lines Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_edges)........................................................................... 15
Table 8: Census Block Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_tabblock2020) ...................................................... 17
Table 9: Census Tract Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_curtracts) .............................................................. 17
Table 10: American Indian Areas Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_aial) ..................................................... 18
Table 11: County and Equivalent Areas Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_county) ..................................... 19
Table 12: County Subdivisions Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_mcd) ........................................................ 20
Table 13: Incorporated Place Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_place) ........................................................ 21
Table 14: Census Designated Places Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_cdp) ................................................ 22
Table 15: Consolidated Cities Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_concity) ..................................................... 23
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Topological Integration of Four Feature Classes ............................................................. 1
Figure 2: Overlay of Four Feature Classes ...................................................................................... 2
Figure 3: Snapping Boundaries to the Centerline ........................................................................... 3
Figure 4: GPS Method of Geocoding............................................................................................... 4
Figure 5: Address Range Geocoding ............................................................................................... 5
Figure 6: Geographic Corridor Creation........................................................................................ 10
Figure 7: Cadastral Data and Census Bureau Topology ................................................................ 10
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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INTRODUCTION
This How-to Guide is a supplemental resource that contains background information and
technical details about U.S. Census Bureau geography, Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)
submission information, change types, and shapefiles.
This information is applicable for all three BAS submission methods–the BAS Partnership
Toolbox (ArcGIS Pro), the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS), and paper. For
detailed instructions on creating a BAS submission using one of these three submission
methods, refer to the corresponding How-to Guide located on the BAS website at
.
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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CHAPTER 1
CENSUS BUREAU SYSTEMS AND DATA INTEGRITY
The Census Bureau’s Geography Division develops geographic applications and executes related
activities in support of data collection and dissemination. For more than twenty years, the
Census Bureau’s Master Address File and Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and
Referencing (MAF/TIGER) System has been a critical resource for supporting the various
geographic partnership programs conducted by the Census Bureau.
The following section describes how the Census Bureau uses a topologically integrated system
and how this differs from traditional geographic information system (GIS), which use separate
layers of data.
1.1
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 geographic areas for data tabulation.
Instead of having a separate layer for each feature class (roads, boundaries, etc.), all
information in the MAF/TIGER System is stored in one layer or file. See Figure 1 for a sample of
topologically integrated data in the MAF/TIGER System.
Figure 1: Topological Integration of Four Feature 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.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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1.2
GIS and Spatial Accuracy
In a GIS, feature classes are often not topologically integrated; instead, they are separated into
individual datasets. When these datasets are overlaid in a GIS, there may be boundary
misalignments. These non-topologically integrated datasets could cause issues in the
MAF/TIGER System. Figure 2 shows how files that are not topologically integrated might appear
in a GIS when overlaid.
Figure 2: Overlay of Four Feature Classes
This example shows an overlay of four separate 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.
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. To avoid such issues, the Census Bureau will snap boundary
changes to a MAF/TIGER System feature when it exists within 30 feet of that feature as shown
in Figure 3. This ensures that housing and population are correctly tabulated to all geographies.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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Figure 3: Snapping Boundaries to the Centerline
1.3
These boundary corrections are not snapped to existing linear features in
the MAF/TIGER System. The Census Bureau will snap both boundary
corrections to the centerlines to avoid population being assigned to
incorrect governments.
Census Bureau Geocoding
Geocoding is how the Census Bureau codes the location of the housing and population within
the boundaries of a geographic area. There are two primary methods of geocoding used by the
Census Bureau, and both involved coding an address to a spatial polygon. One uses Global
Positioning System (GPS) technology to create a MAF structure point (MSP), and the other uses
address ranges for geocoding.
1.3.1
MSP Geocoding
To collect an MSP, 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 falls very close to the front
door of the house. However, since GPS points are collected in the field, real-world obstacles like
locked fences, poor satellite reception, or even aggressive dogs might prevent the field worker
from gaining access to the front door. In these circumstances, the field worker may have to take
the GPS coordinate from the sidewalk or side of the road.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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Figure 4: GPS Method of Geocoding
1.3.2
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.
Address Range Geocoding
When it is not possible to collect an MSP, the Census Bureau codes houses and living quarters
according to the address range associated with the adjacent stretch of road (Figure 5). Address
ranges describe a label given to a unique collection of addresses that fall along a road or path.
Address ranges provide a way of locating homes and business based on their street address
when no other location information is available. The Census Bureau conducts numerous
operations and processes to build and maintain high quality address ranges.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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Figure 5: Address Range Geocoding
1.3.3
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.
Geocoding, Boundaries, and BAS Submissions
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 representation of legal boundaries
sometimes differs from other representations (e.g., in local or state GIS). This is important
when adding geographic corridors and offsets that follow road right of ways (or the front-lotlines of parcels). In both figures 4 and 5 above, delineating a boundary along the front-lot-line
will increase the risk of incorrect geocoding. Using the road centerline as a boundary is the safer
method.
If a road or road right-of-way is owned or maintained by a place but the adjacent housing is not,
the centerline of the road should be used as the boundary. If local or state law requires the use
of the front-lot-line boundary, the area between the road centerline and the front-lot-boundary
should be designated as a corridor or an offset.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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CHAPTER 2
2.1
BAS SUBMISSION INFORMATION
BAS IDs and Geographic Codes
The BAS ID is the code the Census Bureau uses to identify each government. All federally
recognized American Indian areas (AIA), counties (and equivalent areas), incorporated places,
consolidated cities, and minor civil divisions (MCDs) are assigned and identified by unique BAS
IDs. Each government BAS ID can be found on the BAS Annual Response email sent at the start
of each BAS year. A list of BAS IDs and other geographic codes can be found online at
.
2.2
Submission File Naming Convention
The following tables provide the naming conventions for the various submission shapefiles. For
all tables in this section, represents the participant’s BAS ID and represents the
current year.
2.2.1
Change Polygon Shapefile
The following table provides change polygon shapefile naming conventions. The BAS ID for the
participant should be used when naming the shapefiles even if they are submitting changes for
another level of geography.
Table 1: Change Polygon Shapefile Naming Conventions
Participant
Submitting Changes For
Shapefile Naming Convention
County
County
bas__changes_county.shp
County
MCD
bas__changes_cousub.shp
County
Incorporated Place
bas__changes_incplace.shp
MCD
MCD
bas__changes_cousub.shp
Incorporated Place
Incorporated Place
bas__changes_incplace.shp
Consolidated City
Consolidated City
bas__changes_concity.shp
County
Census Designated Places
bas__changes_cdp.shp
AIA
AIA
bas__changes_aiannh.shp
AIA
Tribal Subdivision
bas__changes_tribalsub.shp
Hawaiian Home Lands
Hawaiian Home Lands
bas__changes_hhl.shp
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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2.2.2
Whole Entity Polygon Shapefile
The following table provides the whole entity polygon shapefile naming conventions. The BAS
ID for the participant should be used when naming the shapefiles even if they are submitting
changes for another level of geography.
Table 2: Whole Entity Polygon Shapefile Naming Conventions
Participant
Submitting Changes For
Shapefile Naming Convention
County
County
bas__WholeEntity_county.shp
County
MCD
bas__WholeEntity_cousub.shp
County
Incorporated Place
bas__WholeEntity_incplace.shp
MCD
MCD
bas__WholeEntity_cousub.shp
Incorporated Place
Incorporated Place
bas__WholeEntity_incplace.shp
Consolidated City
Consolidated City
bas__WholeEntity_concity.shp
AIA
AIA
bas__WholeEntity_aiannh.shp
AIA
Tribal Subdivision
bas__WholeEntity_tribalsub.shp
Hawaiian Home Lands
Hawaiian Home Lands
bas__WholeEntity_hhl.shp
2.2.3
Linear Feature Change Shapefile
The following table provides the naming convention for the linear feature change shapefile.
Table 3: Linear Feature Change Shapefile Naming Convention
Participant
All Participants
U.S. Census Bureau
Submitting Changes For
Linear Features
Shapefile Naming Convention
bas__changes_ln.shp
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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CHAPTER 3
SUBMISSION TYPES
The Census Bureau accepts submissions for changes to legal boundaries, census designated
places (CDPs), and linear features through BAS.
To update the MAF/TIGER System, participants must create a separate change polygon layer for
each updated government type (county, MCD, place, CDP). Change polygons should be created
in relation to the current MAF/TIGER System boundary.
The Census Bureau will snap any legal change or boundary correction to a MAF/TIGER System
feature when it exists within 30 feet of that feature.
3.1
Legal Boundary Submissions
Legal boundary submissions include any updates to legal boundaries, including incorporated
places, MCDs, counties, and tribal governments. Change types available for legal boundary
submissions are legal boundary changes, boundary corrections, geographic corridors and
offsets, and tribal subdivisions.
3.1.1
Legal Boundary Changes
Legal boundary changes are the result of legal actions. These include:
•
Annexations or additions.
•
Deannexations or deletions.
•
New Incorporations.
•
Disincorporations (and Inactive Entities).
•
Name and/or Legal Description Changes.
Legal boundary change submissions from incorporated places, MCDs, and counties must
provide the legal documentation number (e.g., law or ordinance number), effective date, and
authorization type in the appropriate fields of the changes shapefile. For annexations and
deannexations, the Census Bureau does not need the document itself to accept the changes if
the required information is provided. AIA legal documentation (e.g., statute, federal court
decision, trust deed) must accompany all AIA legal boundary changes.
New incorporation or disincorporation paperwork must be provided with those changes, and
new incorporations must also include contact information for the Highest Elected Official (HEO)
and BAS contact of the newly incorporated government. Similarly, changes to the name or legal
description (e.g., town to city, etc.) must include the paperwork that enacted those changes.
Inactive governments, or those without a functioning government that are still incorporated,
only need confirmation that they hold that status.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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3.1.2
Boundary Corrections
A boundary correction is the spatial adjustment of a boundary to correct an error in how the
Census Bureau depicts an existing boundary. Boundary corrections should follow the general
shape of the existing boundary. Legal documentation is not required when submitting a
boundary correction to the Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau will accept and process boundary corrections:
•
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 boundary-to-feature
relationships are dissolved.
The Census Bureau will not accept boundary corrections:
•
Along county boundaries if the affected counties do not agree on the location of the boundary.
•
Between adjacent incorporated places or adjacent MCDs if the affected places or MCDs do not
agree on the location of the boundary, unless the changes are submitted by a county that is part
of a Consolidated BAS (CBAS) agreement.
•
That dissolve boundary-to-feature relationships (roads, rivers, railroads, etc.) if the difference is
less than 30 feet.
•
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 legal changes, legal documentation is required.
•
With a width of less than 30 feet at the widest point unless the change affects a housing unit.
3.1.3
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, a
geographic corridor should be created. A geographic corridor is an area that includes only the
road (or other feature’s) right-of-way and does not contain any structures addressed to either
side of the street.
The left side of Figure 6 shows a corridor (shown in color) created where the incorporated place
annexed the right-of-way, but the housing units are not included in the incorporated place.
Corridors are often used to connect two disconnected parts of a government when local law
does not permit for discontinuous annexations. This type of corridor can be included in a BAS
submission.
The right side of Figure 6 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.
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 submission.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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Figure 6: Geographic Corridor Creation
3.1.4
The left side of the image shows a corridor that has been created where an
incorporated place annexed the road right-of-way, but not the housing units
assigned to either side of the road. The right side of the image shows that
the geographic corridor should not be created and features should be
snapped to the street centerline.
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 its maps on spatial data that is
topologically integrated, which makes the maintenance of geographic offsets inefficient.
Delineating a government boundary on the road centerline helps establish more accurate
population counts. If a boundary is on the front-lot-line adjacent to a road on the map, the
Census Bureau prefers that the boundary be delineated on the road centerline already shown
on the map. If a boundary is on the rear or side lot line, then it should be depicted as such. The
left side of Figure 7 depicts a cadastral boundary map and the right side shows how the
boundary should be reported to the Census Bureau.
Figure 7: Cadastral Data and Census Bureau Topology
On the left in is an example of cadastral data. On the right is the same area
shown edited to conform to Census Bureau requirements.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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3.1.5
Tribal Subdivisions
The Census Bureau considers any type of unit of self-government or administration in tribal
areas as a tribal subdivision. A tribe may submit only one type of subdivision, even if it has more
than one type of distinct administrative area that could qualify as a tribal subdivision
(e.g., tribal election districts, tribal water districts, or health service areas with different
boundaries). Tribal subdivisions can only exist on the reservation and off-reservation trust land,
but tribal subdivisions do not have to cover the entire reservation and trust land. The Census
Bureau recognizes two types of tribal subdivisions - active (A) or inactive (I):
•
Active subdivisions are defined as having a functioning government, with elected officials, that
provides programs and services.
•
Inactive subdivisions have no functioning government or elected officials and receive services
solely from the tribe.
The name of each tribal subdivision must reflect its name, as cited in recent legal
documentation and/or used by the tribal government, for administrative purposes.
3.2
CDP Submissions
CDPs are closely settled, unincorporated communities that are locally recognized and identified
by name. They are the statistical equivalents of incorporated places, with the primary
differences being the lack of a legally defined boundary and an active, functioning
governmental structure, chartered by the state, and administered by elected officials.
Participants have the option to submit new CDPs, make boundary corrections to existing CDPs,
and remove CDPs through BAS.
3.3
Linear Feature Submissions
It is important that Census Bureau data reflects the most recent linear features to make sure
that new or previously missed housing units located along these features can be identified and
located by other Census Bureau operations. The Census Bureau will not accept files containing a
complete road network. Instead, we will accept files with linear feature modifications for the
following situations:
•
When a road is missing from the Census Bureau’s feature network and needs to be added.
•
When a road in the Census Bureau’s feature network does not exist and should be deleted.
•
When a feature is in the incorrect location in the Census Bureau’s feature network and should
be moved.
•
When a feature has the incorrect name and/or MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code (MTFCC) assigned
in the Census Bureau’s feature network.
The road name and MTFCC are required for any roads being added to the Census Bureau’s
feature network. More information about MTFCCs can be found in section 4.4.
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Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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CHAPTER 4
BAS PARTNERSHIP SHAPEFILES
The BAS Partnership Shapefiles reflect the legal boundaries and names for all governments, as
reported through the previous year’s BAS.
4.1
Accessing the BAS Partnership Shapefiles
The Census Bureau’s partnership shapefiles are available for download from the Partnership
Shapefiles webpage. These files are in GCS NAD83 format and can be projected into any local
coordinate system/project. Most GIS software packages will allow users to transform file
coordinate systems and projections.
IMPORTANT:
4.2
Be certain to select the version used for BAS (v2) and not the other versions that may
appear on the page.
Shapefile Names
State-level Shapefile Names–PVS_24_v2__.shp where is the two-digit
code corresponding to the state, for example, “24” and is the abbreviation for the
geography type represented in the shapefile. No state level shapefiles are described in section
4.3.
Table 4: State Shapefile Names
Shapefile Layer
U.S. Census Bureau
Alaska Native Regional Corporation
anrc
American Indian / Alaska Native Areas – Statistical
aias
American Indian Areas – Legal
aial
American Indian Areas 2020 – Legal
aial2020
American Indian Tribal Subdivisions – Legal
aitsl
American Indian Tribal Subdivisions – Statistical
aitss
Congressional Districts
cd
Core Based Statistical Areas
cbsa
Hawaiian Home Lands
hhl
School Districts (Elementary)
elsd
School Districts (Secondary)
scsd
School Districts (Unified)
unsd
School Districts Administrative Areas
sdadm
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Shapefile Layer
State Legislative Districts (Upper / Senate)
sldu
State Legislative Districts (Lower / House)
sldl
Public Use Microdata Areas 2020
puma2020
2020 Census Tracts
tracts2020
Census Designated Places
cdp
Counties and Equivalent Areas
county
Counties and Equivalent Areas 2020
county2020
County Subdivisions – Legal
mcd
Incorporated Places
place
States and Equivalent Areas
state
Tribal Block Groups
tbg
Tribal Census Tracts
tct
Urban Areas Census 2020
uac
Block Area Grouping
bag
County-level Shapefile Names–PVS_24_v2__.shp, where is the
five-digit code corresponding to the state and county, for example, “24001” and is
the abbreviation for the geography type represented in the shapefile.
Table 5: County Shapefile Names
Shapefile Layer
U.S. Census Bureau
Alaska Native Regional Corporation
anrc
American Indian / Alaska Native Areas – Statistical
aias
American Indian Areas – Legal
aial
American Indian Tribal Subdivisions – Legal
aitsl
American Indian Tribal Subdivisions – Statistical
aitss
Congressional Districts
cd
Core Based Statistical Areas
cbsa
Hawaiian Home Lands
hhl
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
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Shapefile Layer
U.S. Census Bureau
School Districts (Elementary)
elsd
School Districts (Secondary)
scsd
School Districts (Unified)
unsd
School Districts Administrative Areas
sdadm
State Legislative Districts (Upper / Senate)
sldu
State Legislative Districts (Lower / House)
sldl
Public Use Microdata Areas 2020
puma2020
Urban Growth Areas
uga
Census Block Groups
bg
Census Blocks – Current
tabblock
Census Blocks – 2020 Census
tabblock2020
Census Tracts – Current
curtracts
2020 Census Tracts
tracts2020
Census Designated Places
cdp
Consolidated Cities
concity
Counties and Equivalent Areas
county
County Subdivisions for counties with Legal Subdivisions
mcd
County Subdivisions for counties with Legal Subdivisions
ccd
Incorporated Places
places
Subbarios
submcd
Tribal Block Groups
tbg
Tribal Census Tracts
tct
Urban Areas 2020 Census
uac
All Lines
edges
Area Landmarks
arealm
Hydrography – Area
water
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Shapefile Layer
Point Landmarks
pointlm
Geographic Offsets
offset
Block Area Grouping
bag
Face Geometry with all geocodes
faces
County-level Relationship Table Names–PVS_24_v2__.dbf, where
is the five-digit code corresponding to the state and county, for example, “24001” and
is the abbreviation for the relationship type. These files have no geometry but can
be joined with county-level shapefiles in a GIS to provide additional attribution. See the table
below for details on the common fields and county-level shapefiles to use for joining.
Table 6: Relationship Table Names
Relationship Table
Common
Field
County-level Shapefile
Topological Faces – Area Landmark Relationship
areafaces
TFID
Face Geometry with all
geocodes
Topological Faces – Area Hydrography Relationship
hydrofaces
HYDROID
Hydrography – Area
Address Ranges
addr
TLID
All lines
Linear Feature Names – Fielded
allnames
TLID
All lines
4.3
Shapefile Layouts
The tables in this section show the shapefile layouts for the county-level partnership shapefiles
most commonly used during BAS.
Table 7: All Lines Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_edges)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
TLID
10
Number
Permanent Edge ID
TFIDL
10
Number
Permanent Face ID (Topological Polygon) ID (left)
TFIDR
10
Number
Permanent Face ID (Topological Polygon) ID (right)
MTFCC
5
String
MAF/TIGER Feature Class code
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Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
FIDELITY
1
String
Flag indicating whether boundary edge has changed
through spatial enhancement
FULLNAME
40
String
Complete name associated with the edge includes
abbreviated qualifier, direction, and feature type
SMID
22
String
Spatial metadata ID
SMIDTYPE
1
String
Source attribution for boundary edges, PLSS, Parcels,
Surveyed, etc.
RTTYP
1
String
Route type code
BBSPFLG
1
String
Indicates the Redistricting Data Project participant’s
submitted request of an EDGE for selection for holding
CBBFLG
1
String
Indicates status of an edge for a selection as a
tabulation block boundary
BBSP_2030
1
String
New BBSP flag
CHNG_TYPE
4
String
Type of linear feature update
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
LTOADD
10
String
Left to address
RTOADD
10
String
Right to address
LFROMADD
10
String
Left from address
RFROMADD
10
String
Left to address
ZIPL
5
String
Left ZIP Code
ZIPR
5
String
Right ZIP Code
EXTTYP
1
String
Extension type
MTUPDATE
10
Date
Date of last update to the edge
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Table 8: Census Block Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_tabblock2020)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP20
2
String
State code from 2020
COUNTYFP20
3
String
County code from 2020
TRACTCE20
6
String
Census tract code from 2020
BLOCKCE
4
String
Tabulation block number from 2020
BLOCKID20
15
String
Concatenation of the state code, county code, census
tract code, and the tabulation block number fields
PARTFLG
1
String
Part flag indicator, indicates if only part of a feature is
represented
HOUSING20
9
Number
Housing count from the 2020 Census
POP20
9
Number
Population count from the 2020 Census
Table 9: Census Tract Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_curtracts)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
TRACTCE
6
String
Census tract code
NAME
100
String
Base name portion of the standardized name
TRACTID
11
String
Concatenation of the state code, county code, and
census tract code fields
NEW_CODE
6
String
New tract code
CHNG_TYPE
2
String
Type of area update
EFF_DATE
10
Date
Effective date or vintage
TRACTTYP
1
String
Census tract characteristic flag
RELATE
120
String
Relationship description
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
TRACTLABEL
7
String
Census tract number used for Local Update of Census
Addresses (LUCA) geocoding
VINTAGE
2
String
Vintage
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
17
Table 10: American Indian Areas Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_aial)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
BASID
11
String
11-digit Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) ID
AIANNHCE
4
String
Census AIANNH code
COMPTYP
1
String
Indicates if reservation (or equivalent) or offreservation trust land is present, or both
AIANNHFSR
1
String
Flag indicating level of recognition of an American
Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian tribe or
group
NAMELSAD
100
String
Name with the translated Legal/Statistical Area
Description (LSAD)
AIANNHNS
8
String
ANSI numeric identifier for AIANNH areas
LSAD
2
String
Legal/Statistical Area Description code
FUNCSTAT
1
String
Functional status code
CLASSFP
2
String
Class code describing an entity
PARTFLG
1
String
Part flag indicator, indicates if only part of a feature is
represented
CHNG_TYPE
2
String
Type of area update
EFF_DATE
10
Date
Effective date or vintage
AUTHTYPE
1
String
Authorization type for legal area updates
DOCU
120
String
Supporting documentation
FORM_ID
4
String
Record ID for any boundary update
AREA
10
Number
Acreage of area update
RELATE
120
String
Relationship description
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
NAME
100
String
Name
VINTAGE
2
String
Vintage
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
18
Table 11: County and Equivalent Areas Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_county)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
BASID
11
String
11-digit Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) ID
COUNTYNS
8
String
American National Standards Institute feature code
for the county or equivalent feature
NAMELSAD
100
String
Name with the translated Legal/Statistical Area
Description (LSAD)
LSAD
2
String
Legal/Statistical Area Description code
FUNCSTAT
1
String
Functional status code
CLASSFP
2
String
Class code describing an entity
CHNG_TYPE
2
String
Type of area update
EFF_DATE
10
Date
Effective date or vintage
AUTHTYPE
1
String
Authorization type for legal area updates
DOCU
120
String
Supporting documentation
FORM_ID
4
String
Record ID for any boundary update
AREA
10
Number
Acreage of area update
RELATE
120
String
Relationship description
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
NAME
100
String
Name
VINTAGE
2
String
Vintage
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
19
Table 12: County Subdivisions Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_mcd)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
BASID
11
String
11-digit Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) ID
COUSUBFP
5
String
County Subdivision code
NAMELSAD
100
String
Name with the translated Legal/Statistical Area
Description (LSAD)
COUSUBNS
8
String
American National Standards Institute feature code
for the county subdivision
LSAD
2
String
Legal/Statistical Area Description code
FUNCSTAT
1
String
Functional status code
CLASSFP
2
String
Class code describing an entity
CHNG_TYPE
2
String
Type of area update
EFF_DATE
10
Date
Effective date or vintage
AUTHTYPE
1
String
Authorization type for legal area updates
DOCU
120
String
Supporting documentation
FORM_ID
4
String
Record ID for any boundary update
AREA
10
Number
Acreage of area update
RELATE
120
String
Relationship description
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
NAME
100
String
Name
VINTAGE
2
String
Vintage
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
20
Table 13: Incorporated Place Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_place)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
PLACEFP
5
String
Place code
BASID
11
String
11-digit Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) ID
NAMELSAD
100
String
Name with the translated Legal/Statistical Area
Description (LSAD)
PLACENS
8
String
American National Standards Institute feature code
for the place
LSAD
2
String
Legal/Statistical Area Description code
FUNCSTAT
1
String
Functional status code
CLASSFP
2
String
Class code describing an entity
PARTFLG
1
String
Part flag indicator, indicates if only part of a feature is
represented
CHNG_TYPE
2
String
Type of area update
EFF_DATE
10
Date
Effective date or vintage
AUTHTYPE
1
String
Authorization type for legal area updates
DOCU
120
String
Supporting documentation
FORM_ID
4
String
Record ID for any boundary update
AREA
10
Number
Acreage of area update
RELATE
120
String
Relationship description
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
NAME
100
String
Name
VINTAGE
2
String
Vintage
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
21
Table 14: Census Designated Places Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_cdp)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
PLACEFP
5
String
Place code
PLACENS
8
String
American National Standards Institute feature code
for the place
NAMELSAD
100
String
Name with the translated Legal/Statistical Area
Description (LSAD)
LSAD
2
String
Legal/Statistical Area Description code
FUNCSTAT
1
String
Functional status code
CLASSFP
2
String
Class code describing an entity
PARTFLG
1
String
Part flag indicator, indicates if only part of a feature is
represented
CHNG_TYPE
2
String
Type of area update
EFF_DATE
10
Date
Effective date or vintage
RELATE
120
String
Relationship description
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
NAME
100
String
Name
VINTAGE
2
String
Vintage
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
22
Table 15: Consolidated Cities Shapefile (PVS_24_v2_concity)
Attribute Field
Length
Type
Description
STATEFP
2
String
State code
COUNTYFP
3
String
County code
CONCITYFP
5
String
Consolidated city code
BASID
11
String
11-digit Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) ID
NAMELSAD
100
String
Name with the translated Legal/Statistical Area
Description (LSAD)
PLACENS
8
String
American National Standards Institute feature code
for the place
LSAD
2
String
Legal/Statistical Area Description code
FUNCSTAT
1
String
Functional status code
CLASSFP
2
String
Class code describing an entity
CHNG_TYPE
2
String
Type of area update
EFF_DATE
10
Date
Effective date or vintage
AUTHTYPE
1
String
Authorization type for legal area updates
DOCU
120
String
Supporting documentation
FORM_ID
4
String
Record ID for any boundary update
AREA
10
Number
Acreage of area update
RELATE
120
String
Relationship description
JUSTIFY
150
String
Justification
NAME
100
String
Name
VINTAGE
2
String
Vintage
4.4
MTFCC Descriptions
The MTFCC is a 5-digit code assigned by the Census Bureau to classify and describe geographic
objects or features. A full list of MTFCC codes and descriptions can be found at
.
U.S. Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Technical Guide
23
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Title | BAS Technical Guide |
| Author | U.S. Census Bureau |
| File Modified | 2024-08-21 |
| File Created | 2024-08-21 |