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{{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
==Function==▼
[[File:QACourthouse QueenstownMD.jpg|thumb|The old courthouse in [[Centreville, Maryland]], the county seat of [[Queen Anne's County, Maryland]], U.S.]]▼
In most of the [[United States]], [[county (United States)|counties]] are the [[administrative division|political subdivisions]] of a [[U.S. state|state]]. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government is known as the '''seat''' of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of the county, especially if it is geographically large.▼
A county seat is usually an incorporated [[municipality]]. The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as [[Arlington County, Virginia]], where the county seat is the entire county.<ref>{{cite web|title=Counties in Virginia and the Location of Their Seats of Government|url=http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/county.seats.pdf|publisher=Virginia Commission on Local Government|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113040156/http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/county.seats.pdf|archive-date=13 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ellicott City, Maryland|Ellicott City]], the county seat of [[Howard County, Maryland]], is the largest unincorporated county seat in the United States, followed by [[Towson, Maryland|Towson]], the county seat of [[Baltimore County, Maryland]]. Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, [[Cape May Court House, New Jersey]], though unincorporated, is a section of [[Middle Township, New Jersey|Middle Township]], an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original [[Thirteen Colonies]], county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as [[Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia]].▼
==Canada==
In [[Canada]], the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|provinces]] of [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], [[New Brunswick]], [[Prince Edward Island]], and [[Nova Scotia]] have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia the term "shire town" is used in place of county seat.<ref>{{
==China==
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[[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|[[Allentown, Pennsylvania]], the third-largest city in [[Pennsylvania]] and county seat of [[Lehigh County, Pennsylvania|Lehigh County]]]]
[[File:Renville County Courthouse MN.jpg|thumb|Many county seats in the United States feature a historic courthouse, such as this one in [[Renville County, Minnesota]].]]
▲===Function===
▲[[File:QACourthouse QueenstownMD.jpg|thumb|The old courthouse in [[Centreville, Maryland]], the county seat of [[Queen Anne's County, Maryland]], U.S.]]
▲In most of the [[United States]], a [[
▲A county seat is usually an incorporated [[municipality]]. The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as [[Arlington County, Virginia]], where the county seat is the entire county.<ref>{{cite web|title=Counties in Virginia and the Location of Their Seats of Government|url=http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/county.seats.pdf|publisher=Virginia Commission on Local Government|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113040156/http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/county.seats.pdf|archive-date=13 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ellicott City, Maryland|Ellicott City]], the county seat of [[Howard County, Maryland]], is the largest unincorporated county seat in the United States, followed by [[Towson, Maryland|Towson]], the county seat of [[Baltimore County, Maryland]]. Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, [[Cape May Court House, New Jersey]], though unincorporated, is a section of [[Middle Township, New Jersey|Middle Township]], an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original [[Thirteen Colonies]], county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as [[Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia]].
===U.S. counties with more than one county seat===
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