See also: Indiana township trustee, Political subdivisions of Wisconsin, and Charter township Madison Township Hall in Madison Township, Richland County, Ohioĭepending on the state, the township government has varying degrees of authority.

In some states, a township and a municipality that is coterminous with that township may wholly or partially consolidate their operations. In some cases, townships run local libraries, senior citizen services, youth services, disabled citizen services, emergency assistance, and cemetery services. In the 20th century, many townships also added a township administrator or supervisor to the officers as an executive for the board. Township officers frequently include justice of the peace, road commissioner, assessor, constable, and surveyor. Township functions are generally overseen by a governing board (the name varies from state to state) and a clerk, trustee, or mayor (in New Jersey and the metro townships of Utah). Currently, there are 20 states with civil townships. Census Bureau classifies civil townships as minor civil divisions. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both, the boundaries often coincide and may completely geographically subdivide a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary in each state.

The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to refer to the equivalent of the civil township in these states Minnesota uses 'town' officially but often uses it and 'township' interchangeably.

Protected areas ( Conservation district, National monument, National park)Ī civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country.

Unorganized Borough / Census area / Villages / District (USVI) / District (AS).

Indian reservation ( list) / Hawaiian home land / Alaska Native tribal entity / Pueblo / Off-reservation trust land / Tribal Jurisdictional Area.

Township trustee definition