Notice2025-05804
Geographically Updated Population Certification Program
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 4, 2025
Effective
April 4, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Census Bureau will modify the Geographically Updated Population Certification Program (GUPCP) by removing the expedited processing option for certified decennial census population and housing counts associated with updated government boundaries. The GUPCP is a fee-based service that was reinstated on January 1, 2024. The service provides the requesting government a new certification of 2020 Census population and housing counts based on boundary updates that became legally effective after the 2020 Census. Government boundaries effective on or before January 1, 2020, were used for 2020 Census population and housing tabulation.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 64 (Friday, April 4, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 64 (Friday, April 4, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14778-14779]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05804]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
[Docket Number: 250325-0048; RTID 0607-XC081]
Geographically Updated Population Certification Program
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Census Bureau will modify the Geographically Updated
Population Certification Program (GUPCP) by removing the expedited
processing option for certified decennial census population and housing
counts associated with updated government boundaries. The GUPCP is a
fee-based service that was reinstated on January 1, 2024. The service
provides the requesting government a new certification of 2020 Census
population and housing counts based on boundary updates that became
legally effective after the 2020 Census. Government boundaries
effective on or before January 1, 2020, were used for 2020 Census
population and housing tabulation.
DATES: This modification shall become effective April 4, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lindsay Spell, Population Division,
U.S. Census Bureau, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#52223d227c3e35373f221231373c2127217c353d24"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9dedf2edb3f1faf8f0edddfef8f3eee8eeb3faf2eb">[email protected]</span></a> or telephone at
301-763-2461.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Following the 1970 decennial census and after every subsequent
decennial census, the Census Bureau provided the opportunity for
tribal, state, and local governments to obtain certified population and
housing counts for areas where the boundaries have changed from those
used to tabulate the results of the immediately preceding decennial
census. These changes occur due to newly incorporated governments, the
merger of two or more existing governments, the addition or annexation
of land by a government, or other circumstances. The certification
process is available to governments established by law for the purpose
of implementing specified general-purpose or special-purpose government
functions. Most governments have legally established boundaries and
names and have officials (usually elected) who have the power to carry
out legally prescribed functions, provide services for residents, and
raise revenues. These are commonly referred to as general-purpose
governments and typically include federally recognized American Indian
reservations and off-reservation trust land, counties and county
equivalents, boroughs, cities, towns, villages, and townships. Special-
purpose governments, such as school districts, typically are limited to
one function.
This service is a permanent process, but one that is suspended in
advance of future decennial censuses. Typically, the Census Bureau will
suspend this service and direct its resources to the decennial census
for approximately five years. This includes the two years preceding the
decennial census, the decennial census year, and the two years
following it. The Census Bureau issues notices in the Federal Register
announcing when it suspends and, in turn, resumes the service.
The Census Bureau first began to make updated decennial census
count determinations to reflect geographic boundary changes in 1972 in
response
[[Page 14779]]
to the requests of local governments to establish eligibility for
participation in the General Revenue Sharing Program, authorized under
Public Law 92-512. At that time, the Census Bureau established a fee-
based service enabling governments with annexations to obtain updated
decennial census population counts that reflected the population living
in the annexed areas. The Census Bureau also received funding from the
U.S. Department of the Treasury to make those determinations for larger
annexations that met prescribed criteria, and for new incorporations.
The General Revenue Sharing Program ended on September 30, 1986, but
the certification program continued into 1988 with support from the
Census Bureau. The program was suspended to accommodate the taking of
the 1990 decennial census and resumed in 1992. The Census Bureau
supported the program through fiscal year 1995 for cities with large
annexations and through fiscal year 1996 for newly incorporated places.
The program was continued as a fee-based service until June 1, 1998, at
which time it was suspended for the 2000 decennial census (63 FR 27706,
May 20, 1998).
In 2002, the program resumed and has since been referred to as the
Geographically Updated Population Certification Program or GUPCP (67 FR
72095, December 4, 2002). GUPCP was suspended again in 2008 to
accommodate the taking of the 2010 Census (72 FR 46602, August 21,
2007), as well as in 2019 to accommodate the taking of the 2020 Census
(83 FR 53029, October 19, 2018).
Following each decennial census, published census data adhere to
disclosure avoidance standards designed to protect confidentiality.
Prior to 2020, governments were able to request an expedited GUPCP
certificate to receive decennial census population and housing unit
counts that incorporate a change in boundaries outside of the regular
annual update schedule. Within the disclosure avoidance system, it was
possible to generate these data as needed to satisfy expedited
requests.
This decade, the modernized disclosure avoidance standards limit
the application of geographic updates to the 2020 Census data to once
each year. As a result, the Census Bureau can only produce updated
population and housing unit counts on the annual update schedule for
new incorporations or annexations. Accordingly, there is only one fee
option associated with an annual processing option.
Although there is no legal requirement that the Census Bureau
provide this service, there is a demand from governments for 2020
Census population and housing counts to be certified to reflect
boundary updates or the formation of new governments dated after
January 1, 2020, the legal effective date for boundaries used in
tabulating the 2020 Census. Title 13, section 8 of the United States
Code allows the Census Bureau to conduct this program by providing
certain statistical materials upon payment of costs for the service.
The Census Bureau is the sole provider of this service, which is based
on processing 2020 Census enumeration records protected by the
confidentiality restrictions at 13 U.S.C. 8 and 9.
A geographically updated population certification from the Census
Bureau confirms that an official population and housing count is an
accurate retabulating of the 2020 Census population and housing as
configured for the updated government boundaries. A population
certification may be needed for many reasons. For example, general-
purpose governments may be required by state law to produce a Census
Bureau population and housing certification for funds disbursement from
their respective state, or federally sponsored programs may require or
honor a Census Bureau population and housing certification for program
eligibility. Special-purpose governments may also need official
certification of census population and housing counts for other
purposes.
Governments requesting certification must complete Form BC-
1869(EF), Geographically Updated Population Certification Program
(GUPCP) Request. Program details, and this form, are available online
at: <a href="https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gupcp.html">https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gupcp.html</a>. Tribal, state,
and local governments should submit requests for certifications on Form
BC-1869(EF) by email to the Census Bureau at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f2829d82dc9e95979f82b291979c818781dc959d84"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="64140b144a08030109142407010a1711174a030b12">[email protected]</span></a>.
Communication requesting the service without Form BC-1869(EF) will be
accepted only if it contains the information necessary to complete the
form.
Paperwork Reduction Act: Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject
to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), unless that collection of information displays a
current Office of Management and Budget control number. This notice
does not represent a collection of information and is not subject to
the PRA's requirements. The form reference in the notice, Form BC-
1869(EF), will collect only information necessary to process a
certification request. As such, it is not subject to the PRA's
requirements.
Ron Jarmin, Acting Director, Census Bureau, approved the
publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
Dated: March 31, 2025.
Shannon Wink,
Program Analyst, Policy Coordination Office, U.S. Census Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2025-05804 Filed 4-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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