Guernsey is divided into 10 parishes, which form the primary and only level of local administration below the island's central government. Each parish is governed by an elected Douzaine, a council traditionally composed of douzeniers who serve as the local administrative authority. The parishes are responsible for various local matters including refuse collection, maintaining parish roads, managing community facilities, and overseeing certain aspects of land use and development within their boundaries. They also play a role in local policing priorities and serve as registration districts for electoral purposes. While parishes have limited powers compared to municipalities in other jurisdictions, they remain an important part of Guernsey's governance structure, preserving traditions that date back centuries while adapting to modern administrative needs. The parish system reflects the island's unique constitutional status as a Crown Dependency with its own distinct forms of local government.