Urban unincorporated islands, or “pockets,” are unincorporated lands located within a city’s urban service area that have not yet been annexed into the surrounding city.  For over 30 years, the cities and County have jointly promoted island annexation, and the County has made island annexation a fundamental goal of the County General Plan as part of the County’s urban growth management strategies.

For more information regarding annexation of unincorporated islands, please refer to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) publication " Making Your City Whole: Taking Advantage of the Current Opportunity to Annex Urban Unincorporated Pockets. "

For information regarding the County's growth management policies supporting pockets annexation, please refer to Part 4 of the General Plan, Urban Unincorporated Areas Issues & Policies.

Recent Island Annexation Activity

In the last several years, the State of California has authorized streamlined annexation procedures for islands up to 150 acres in size without possibility of protest or protest hearings or elections.  The state recently extended these provisions of state law through December 31, 2014, to provide additional time for cities to programmatically pursue such annexations. In doing so, the state legislature and governor have recognized and supported the importance of island annexations to promote more logical city boundaries, more efficient urban service delivery, and to provide more cohesive urban planning and neighborhood revitalization efforts for these urbanized areas.

A number of cities in Santa Clara County in the last few years have employed these streamlined annexation laws to successfully annex most or all of their remaining islands, including, but not limited to Campbell, Cupertino, and Morgan Hill. Other cities have also made significant progress with annexations of some of their islands, such as Los Altos, Mountain View, and Saratoga.  [Note: certain cities have very minimal unincorporated islands or none at all.  Others have significant islands over 150 acres].

In April 2006, the City of San Jose launched a three- to five-year annexation program targeting all islands of up to 150 acres that remain within its urban service area. 

Streamlined Annexation for Pockets 150 Acres or Smaller

State law in effect through December 31, 2014 allows cities to annex certain pockets of 150 acres ore less without possible protest or election.  In Santa Clara County, LAFCO is assisting cities with procedural and financial assistance to encourage cities to complete the annexation of eligible pockets by that date.  The County of Santa Clara is also providing funding for the costs of mapping, review, and associated fees, eliminating thousands of dollars of costs that would otherwise fall upon the residents and cities.  The County is also offering to improve publicly maintained road surface conditions where appropriate, to bring them up to satisfactory standards upon annexation of the pockets.

Annexation of Urban Pockets is in the Overall Public Interest

The pockets vary in size, condition, and socio-economic status.  The issues and needs of each pocket vary also, ranging from lack of sewer service, neighborhood conditions, to land use issues.  Individual property owners and residents also have diverse interests, and within a given pocket, there may be diversity of opinions about the prospect of annexation by their surrounding city.  Those differences aside, the policies of the State of California, the 15 cities, the County of Santa Clara, and LAFCO concur that annexation of the pockets is in the overall public interest countywide.  The County encourages residents and other stakeholders to maintain a long-term, public-interest perspective in considering the annexation of the urban pockets.

For more information, visit your city’s website,  LAFCO’s website, or contact:

Bill Shoe
Santa Clara County Planning Office
70 W Hedding Street
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel.: (408) 299-5749
Fax: (408) 288-9198
bill.shoe(at)pln.sccgov.org