Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)

The Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) provides eligible governments, which include tribal, state, and general-purpose local governments, an opportunity to review the Census Bureau’s legal boundary data to ensure the Census Bureau has the correct boundary, name, and status information and make necessary updates. BAS also allows for the review and update of census designated place (CDP) boundaries and linear features. It fulfills the agency’s responsibility as part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, for which the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-16 designates the Census Bureau as the lead federal agency for maintaining national data about legal government boundaries, as well as statistical and administrative boundaries. It also supports the geospatial data steward responsibilities of the Geospatial Data Act, the Evidence Act, OMB E-Gov, the Federal Geographic Data Committee, Data.gov, GeoPlatform.gov, the National Map, the Geographic Names Information System, and the Geospatial One-Stop. The Census Bureau uses the boundaries collected during BAS to tabulate data for various censuses and surveys including the decennial census, American Community Survey (ACS), and Population Estimates Program (PEP). It also uses the boundaries collected through BAS to support other programs such as the Redistricting Data Program, the Economic Census, the Geographically Updated Population Certification Program, and the Special Census program. Other federal programs also rely on accurate boundaries collected through BAS. The Department of Housing and Urban Development uses boundaries to determine jurisdictional eligibility for various grant programs, such as the Community Development Block Grant program. In addition, the Department of Agriculture uses boundaries to determine eligibility for various rural housing and economic development programs.

The latest form for Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) expires 2027-11-30 and can be found here.

Boundary and Annexation Survey

Federal Enterprise Architecture: General Government - Central Records & Statistical Mgt

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