A Public Utility District (PUD) is an entity that provides, electricity, natural gas, sewer, waste collection, wholesale telecommunications, water, etc., to the residents of that district. The district is created by a geographical and political body such as a city, county, metropolitan service area (multiple communities joining together for efficiency), etc., for the sole purpose of promoting the development of a designated area by providing a service, such as water and sewer, electricity or gas, to the members, or consumers, of that district. The PUD operates in the same manner as a municipal utility district, but is created by a local government, not a private developer. Normally the districts are nonprofit entities. The general members usually elect a board to run the utility.

Special administrative structures