Notice2026-03073
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Operation
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
February 17, 2026
Issuing agencies
Census Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed reinstatement, with change, of the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) operation, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7244-7246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03073]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CENSUS BUREAU
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Operation
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the
proposed reinstatement, with change, of the Local Update of Census
Addresses (LUCA) operation, prior to the submission of the information
collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before April 20, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c1a5a2aca5efb1b3a081a2a4afb2b4b2efa6aeb7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ddb9beb0b9f3adafbc9dbeb8b3aea8aef3bab2ab">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference ``Local Update of Census
Addresses (LUCA) operation'' in the subject line of your comments. You
may also submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2026-0001,
to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. All
comments received are part of the public record. No comments will be
posted to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> for public viewing until after the
comment period has closed. Comments will generally be posted without
change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and
address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or
otherwise sensitive or protected information. You may submit
attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe
PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Michael Snow, Supervisory Program Analyst, Decennial Census
Management Division, by phone at 301-763-9912 or by email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6a0e09070e441a180b2a090f04191f19440d051c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1c787f7178326c6e7d5c7f79726f696f327b736a">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) operation is an
opportunity provided by the U.S. Census Bureau to enable tribal, state,
and general-purpose local governments to review and comment on the
Census Address List for their respective jurisdictions prior to the
decennial census. The Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994 (Pub.
L. 103-430), codified at 13 U.S.C. 16, expanded the Census Bureau's
authority to share selected address information with tribal, state, and
general-purpose local governments for the purpose of improving the
residential address list. The LUCA operation is conducted pursuant to
this authority and focuses on the review and submission of residential
address information, including individual housing units, group
quarters, and transitory locations, in support of a complete and
accurate census count. There are multiple steps within the LUCA
operation that are outlined later in this notice. LUCA is available to
legally defined federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native
areas (including the Alaska Native Regional Corporations), states,
governmentally active counties, and equivalent entities, incorporated
places, and legally defined minor civil divisions (MCDs) for which the
Census Bureau reports data. Participation in the LUCA program is
voluntary.
2030 LUCA will occur between May 2027 and September 2029. LUCA is
designed to ensure all governments can review the Census Address list
prior to the 2030 Census and comprises four phases:
[ssquf] LUCA Prep.
[ssquf] LUCA Review.
[ssquf] Feedback and Appeals.
[ssquf] LUCA Closeout.
LUCA is a reinstated program from the previous decade. The Census
Bureau has introduced multiple new tools to assist participants with
conducting their work, such as an address matching service, web-based
tools that eliminate the need for the download of software, and a
secure portal to facilitate communication and registration. There
[[Page 7245]]
will be no paper materials for 2030 LUCA.
Prior to making the decision to register for the 2030 LUCA program,
eligible governments should review the residential address data
provided in the LUCA Address Count Listing Files (ACLF) and compare
them to any respective tribal, state, or local residential address data
to determine how well Census address counts match up with the
respective government's address counts. The ACLF is a summary dataset
that provides block-level counts of living quarters, including housing
units, group quarters, and transitory locations, that can be used to
evaluate address coverage at the census block level. The review and
comparison of the ALCF with the government's own residential address
data will aid governments in deciding whether or not they should
complete an address-level review and also helps identify areas where
the government may want to focus LUCA efforts. Tribal, state and
general-purpose local governments choosing to register for LUCA must
designate a primary point of contact, or LUCA liaison. LUCA liaisons
may appoint additional reviewers to assist in the operation. All LUCA
participants electing to review the Census Address List must provide
certification of their agreement to maintain the confidentiality of:
(1) the Census Address List as defined by the LUCA Security
Checklist and Confidentiality Agreement Form and Guidelines,
(2) responses regarding their physical and information technology
security capability,
(3) product preference information, and
(4) certification of their deletion of materials containing
confidential data.
Governments who register for 2030 LUCA and agree to the
confidentiality agreement may review the Census Address List for their
jurisdiction and may choose to provide the Census Bureau address
additions, deletions, conversions, moving of residential addresses, as
well as spatial updates (to include road additions or deletions).
LUCA Prep
LUCA Prep will occur between May 2027 and August 2027 and provides
all eligible governments with the option to learn about LUCA, gather
support materials in preparation for LUCA Review, and register for
LUCA. Additionally, LUCA Prep offers governments opportunities for
training and hands-on practice with the LUCA tools and address data for
their jurisdiction from the Census Address List. Submissions are not
accepted during LUCA Prep, as this phase is intended for preparation
purposes only, and participants will receive a more current version of
the Census Address List during the Review phase. If research conducted
during LUCA Prep indicates that their address list is complete, a
government may choose to not participate in the LUCA Review phase.
Use of digital communication eliminates the wait time that was
previously needed in LUCA to prepare materials, so advanced packages
that were a feature of the 2020 LUCA are no longer needed. This LUCA
Prep phase includes the initial invitation.
LUCA Review
LUCA Review will occur from October 2028 through March 2029 and
provides tribal, state, and general-purpose local governments the
opportunity to learn about the LUCA program and determine their level
of participation.
During this period, governments may review the LUCA Address Count
List File (ACLF) without registering for LUCA. This initial review
allows participants to compare the Census Bureau's residential address
counts with their own records to assess whether a more detailed review
is warranted.
If, based on the LUCA ACLF review, a government elects to conduct a
full LUCA Review of the Census Address List, it must register a LUCA
liaison and any reviewers and sign a confidentiality agreement.
Registration and certification are required before access to the Census
Address List is granted, as the list contains confidential Title 13
information.
Governments that complete registration and confidentiality
requirements may then review the Census Address List and submit
suggestions for the addition, deletion, conversion, or moving of
residential addresses, as well as the addition or deletion of road
features.
The review period was four months in 2020 LUCA and is being
increased to six months for 2030 LUCA in response to requests to allow
more time for the government's review.
LUCA Feedback and Appeals
LUCA Feedback and Appeals will occur between August 2028 and
September 2029 and begins with the Census Bureau providing address-
level feedback to participating governments that provide suggestions of
additions, deletions, conversions, or moving of residential addresses
in LUCA Review. The Census Bureau will not provide feedback on feature
updates submitted within LUCA. The address list feedback includes
detailed information about the results of the address updates submitted
during LUCA Review and allows participating governments the option to
appeal selected feedback results. All appeals must be submitted to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within 60 days of receiving
feedback.
LUCA Closeout
LUCA Closeout marks the end of participating governments' access to
the Census Address List--including any geographic files or data created
with the Census Address List. Participating governments must delete all
data protected by Title 13, U.S.C., in accordance with the LUCA
Security Checklist and Confidentiality Agreement Form and Guidelines.
Materials for the closeout phase will be provided as early as May 2029,
for those that choose not to participate in the appeals phase. For
participating governments that elect to receive Title 13 LUCA
materials, but do not submit updates during the LUCA review, LUCA
Closeout begins upon completion of their LUCA participation. For
participating governments that elect to receive Title 13 LUCA materials
and submit updates, LUCA Closeout will occur following completion of
the LUCA Feedback and Appeals phase, by September 2029. Input on the
experience of LUCA participants will be gathered by a LUCA Customer
Experience Survey.
II. Method of Collection
The information on LUCA contacts, certification of agreement to
maintain the confidentiality of the Census Address List through the
LUCA Security Checklist and Confidentiality Agreement Form and
Guidelines, product preference, and certification of the destruction or
return of materials containing data protected by Title 13 are collected
in secure digital formats through the Census Bureau's electronic
submission platforms. The creation of paper materials was removed due
to resource constraints at the Census Bureau and to create a more
efficient digital submission process for participants. Participants
that have limited digital capability are encouraged to collaborate with
larger governments that may have additional resources to prepare
digital submissions.
Address Updates
A participant that chooses to submit suggestions to the Census
Address List including additions, deletions, conversions, or moving of
residential
[[Page 7246]]
addresses must register using the Geography Division Partner Portal
(GDPP).
[ssquf] The GDPP is a secure, centralized platform that streamlines
Geographic Partnership Program participation and supports operational
management. The portal enables the registration of LUCA operations,
ensuring proper documentation and tracking of census-related
activities. In addition, it provides partners with access to resources,
data tools, and communication channels to facilitate coordination and
information sharing.
[ssquf] Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) Web--This
free web-based Geographic Information System allows LUCA participants
to conduct a full LUCA review. Participants will have access to the
LUCA ACLF, address-level matching functionality, an environment to
identify additions, deletions, conversions, or moving of residential
addresses in the required format, and conduct quality checks. As a
self-contained system, GUPS Web will allow for an easier closeout at
the end of the LUCA operation.
[ssquf] LUCA Wizard--This free, online application allows
participants to download census data to include the LUCA ACLF, Census
Address List, and partnership shapefiles. Additionally, LUCA Wizard can
perform an address-level match to the Census Address List and conduct
quality checks in advance of submission. The LUCA Wizard uses the
Census Bureau's Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) to transfer data to
and from participants. It provides a controlled web-based mechanism for
submitting sensitive or restricted data directly to the Census Bureau,
ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and compliance with federal
security requirements. SWIM supports encrypted data transfers, user
authentication, and access controls to protect information in transit
and limit access to authorized users only. LUCA participants will need
to prepare submissions using their own software and take precautions to
maintain confidentiality of census address materials.
Feature Updates
The information collected on living quarter structure point
coordinates, roads, and road attribute updates can be submitted in the
format preferred by the participating government. The formats are:
[ssquf] Digital data shapefiles output by the latest version of
GUPS Web, or
[ssquf] Digital updates to the Census Bureau supplied shapefiles.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-0994.
Form Number(s): LUCA Security Checklist and Confidentiality
Agreement Form (30-P-27-F), LUCA Registration Form (30-P-13-F), LUCA
Prep Participation Response Form (30-P-21-F), LUCA Review Participation
Response Form (30-R-11-F), LUCA Product Preference Form (30-R-15-F),
LUCA Customer Experience Survey (30-R-31-F), Geography Division Partner
Portal (no form number), Geographic Update Partnership Software Web (no
form number), Secure Web Incoming Module (no form number), LUCA Wizard
(no form number), and LUCA Destruction of Title 13 Materials Form (30-
R-25-F).
Type of Review: Regular submission, request for reinstatement, with
change, of a previously approved collection.
Affected Public: Tribal, state, and general-purpose local
governments.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 40,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 17.9 hours on average; will vary by
population size of government.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Government size by Average burden Total burden
Number of government respondents number of addresses hours hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
34,000.............................................. <6,000 13.5 459,000
5,700............................................... 6,001 to 500,000 33.8 192,660
250................................................. 500,001 to 1,000,000 135.3 33,825
50.................................................. >1,000,000 568.6 28,430
40,000.............................................. All Sizes 17.9 713,915
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 17.9-hour average is a reduction from the 21 average hours in
the previous decade. This is a result of increased efficiency for
participants using new tools, such as the LUCA Wizard and the address-
matching tool, to focus their work.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 713,915.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 16.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-03073 Filed 2-13-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 17, 2026.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.