Annexation
Definition
Annexation is the legal process by which a city expands its boundaries by absorbing adjacent unincorporated land.12 Annexed residents become subject to city taxes and regulations and gain access to city services like police, fire, and utilities.
Why it matters
Annexation grows a city's tax base but also its service obligations. Texas-style "full-purpose" annexation historically let cities take in land without residents' direct consent, a practice that fueled major legal fights until the state reformed its rules in 2017 to require an annexation election or petition from the affected area in most cases.
Seen in the wild
Texas overhauled its annexation law in 2017 through Senate Bill 6, requiring cities in most counties to hold a consent election or obtain a majority petition from affected landowners before annexing land, a direct response to decades of complaints about forced annexation without a resident vote.3