The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: Each district was governed by a sanitary authority and was responsible for various public health matters such as providing clean drinking water, sewers, street cleaning, and clearing slum housing.
In England and Wales, both rural and urban sanitary districts were replaced in 1894 by the Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict.
The sanitary districts were created on 10 August 1872, when the act received royal assent, and the existing authorities were able to exercise their new powers from their first meeting after that date.
The existing governing body of the town (municipal corporation, improvement commissioners or local board of health) was designated as the urban sanitary authority.
Over the next nineteen years the number changed: more urban sanitary districts were formed as towns adopted legislation forming local boards and as additional boroughs were incorporated; over the same period numerous urban sanitary districts were absorbed into expanding boroughs.
They followed the boundaries of existing poor law unions, less the areas of urban sanitary districts.
The Local Government Board for Ireland, created by the same act, could designate other towns with commissioners as urban sanitary districts.
c. 101) public health duties were given to the town councils, commissioners or trustees of burghs, and to parochial boards.
In 1890 the public health duties of parochial boards were allocated to the newly created county councils, administered by district committees.