While larger municipalities maintain fire departments to provide firefighting services, many other areas are served by fire protection districts, which are distinct, specialized governments with boundaries that may bear little relation to municipal and township boundaries. Significant numbers of fire protection districts began to appear in the 1940s, when transportation and residential density made urban fire protection possible in places where residents had otherwise resisted being subject to municipal government through incorporation or annexation. While fire protection districts can offer firefighting services, they do not have the powers that municipalities have to prevent fires through building codes, fire limits, and zoning.

Creator: Lake County Department of Information and Technology
Source: Lake County