What is a special district?

A special district is a local government formed to provide specific services to a specific area. Special districts are run by their own boards, answer to the voters and ratepayers they serve, hold public meetings under the Brown Act, and report their finances to the State Controller every year.

About Chester Public Utility District

Chester Public Utility District is a special district organized under California's Public Utility District Act (Public Utilities Code section 15501 and following). It is governed by a five-member Board of Directors elected by District voters. The District provides drinking water and wastewater (sewer) service, a solid waste franchise, and streetlights to about 2,100 residents of Chester and the Lake Almanor Basin in Plumas County. Fire protection moved from the District to the Peninsula Fire Protection District in December 2024.

Learn more

• The guide What's So Special About Special Districts? (PDF) is a citizen's guide from the California Senate Local Government Committee (Fourth Edition, October 2010, the most recent edition). It explains what special districts are, what they do, and how they are formed.
• Districts Make the Difference is a statewide public-information site about California special districts.