England and Wales
Sanitary districts were formed under the terms of the Public Health Acts 1873 and 1875. Instead of creating new divisions, existing authorities were given additional responsibilities.
Urban sanitary districts were formed in any municipal borough governed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, in any Improvement Commissioners District formed by private act of parliament, and in any Local Government District formed under the Public Health Act 1848 or Local Government Act 1858.
The existing governing body of the town (municipal corporation, improvement commissioners or local board of health) was designated as the urban sanitary authority.
When sanitary districts were formed there were approximately 225 boroughs, 575 local government districts and 50 improvement commissioners districts designated as urban sanitary districts. 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.
Rural sanitary districts were formed in all areas without a town government. They followed the boundaries of existing poor law unions formed in 1837, less the areas of urban sanitary districts. Any subsequent change in the area of the union also changed the sanitary district. At the time of abolition in 1894, there were 572 rural sanitary districts.
The rural sanitary authority consisted of the existing poor law guardians for the rural parishes involved.
The Local Government Act 1894 brought an end to sanitary districts in England and Wales. In boroughs, the sanitary authority was merged into the corporation. All other urban sanitary districts were renamed as urban districts, governed by an urban district council. Rural sanitary districts were replaced by rural districts, for the first time with a directly elected council. It was a requirement that whenever possible a rural district should be within a single administrative county, which led to many districts being split into smaller areas along county lines. A few rural districts with parishes in two or three different counties persisted until the 1930s.
The Local Government Act 1972 made district councils, London borough councils, the City of London Corporation, and Inner Temple and Middle Temple be the sanitary authorities.
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