County commission

However, in some jurisdictions there may be distinct differences between a county commission and other similarly titled bodies.

[2] Each commission acts as the executive of the local government, levying local taxes, administering county governmental services such as correctional institutions, courts, public health oversight, property registration, building code enforcement, and public works (e.g. road maintenance).

The system has been supplanted in large part, as disparate sparsely-settled regions become urbanized and establish tighter local governmental control, usually in municipalities, though in many of the more rural states, the county commission retains more control, and even in some urbanized areas, may be responsible for significant government services.

[3][4][5] William Penn, colonial founder of Pennsylvania originated the system of county commissions in the United States.

[9] New Jersey previously referred to county commissioners as freeholders, but its practice ended in 2021.