The
U.S. state of
California is divided into 58
counties. Counties are responsible for local services and law enforcement for areas within their borders that are not within incorporated
cites, as well as providing local-level
courts.
27 counties were originally created on February 18, 1850; the present number was achieved over time by subdivision of many of the larger counties into smaller ones. The 1850 counties are marked with an asterisk *:
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