A prefecture () in France can refer to :

• the Chef-lieu de département, the town in which the administration of a département is located ;
• the Chef-lieu de région, the town in which the administration of a région is located ;
• the jurisdiction of a préfecture ;
• the official residence or headquarters of a préfet.

Role of the préfecture in départements

There are 100 préfectures in France, one for each département . The official in charge is the prefect (). The préfecture is an administration that belongs to the Ministry of the Interior, and is therefore in charge of the delivery of identity cards, driving licenses, passports, residency and work permits for foreigners, vehicle registration, registration of associations (creation, status modification, dissolution), and of the management of the police and firefighters.

The prefect represents the national government at the local level and as such exercises the powers that are constitutionally attributed to the national government. The prefect issues ordinances written for the application of local law, e.g. to close a building that does not conform to safety codes, or modify vehicular traffic regulations (speed limit, construction permits).

The governing body of the department is the general council Conseil général, which is in charge of the building and maintenance of schools and roads, financial assistance to dependent people (disabled and elderly), and promotion of local economic development, etc. In the past, the prefect was head of the department, however, since 1982, the president of the Conseil général has assumed the role of chief executive of the département.

Paris

There is an exception in Paris (Île-de-France) and its three surrounding départements. These départements are governed by a single préfecture for law enforcement and security purposes, which is the Prefecture of Police (). The prefect of police has the power of law enforcement in Paris, which is a power usually invested in the mayor in other French communes.

Until 1977, Paris had no mayor and was mostly ruled by the prefect of police; a situation inherited from the Paris Commune of 1871.

Divisions of the départements

The départements are divided into arrondissements, themselves divided into cantons. The chef-lieu d'arrondissement is the subprefecture or sous-préfecture. The official in charge is the sous-préfet. Cantons have relatively few competences, the most important of which being the local organisation of elections (cantons are electoral subdivisions).

See also

• Administrative divisions of France
• French National Police

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