Annexation

Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners serves as your local government if you live in one of the unincorporated areas.

There are two main ways an unincorporated property can be annexed into a municipality: Voluntary Annexation or Referendum Annexation.

Voluntary Annexation occurs when a property owner (or owners) submits a petition to join a municipality. If the municipality agrees, it passes a municipal ordinance that annexes the area. In order to be eligible for voluntary annexation, the property has to be next to the annexing municipality.

Referendum Annexations are initiated by a municipality, which sets up a referendum after holding at least two public hearings. If a majority of voters pass the referendum, the area is annexed. If a majority of voters reject the referendum, the area remains unincorporated.

All registered voters in the proposed annexation area are eligible to vote. If you own property within the proposed annexation area, but are not a registered voter there, you are not eligible to vote on the referendum.

If a majority of voters choose annexation, the entire proposed area becomes part of the municipality.

Pinellas County would continue to provide many of our countywide services, such as 9-1-1 Emergency Communications, Sunstar Ambulance and Mosquito Control. Cities contract for some municipal services through the County, such as law enforcement and utilities. View the full list of County services.