Districts constitute the third and most local level of administrative division in Peru, with 1,874 districts currently existing throughout the country. Each district functions as a municipality governed by a municipal council and mayor, elected by local residents for four-year terms. Districts hold responsibility for essential local services including sanitation, local infrastructure maintenance, parks and recreation facilities, civil registries, and community development programs. They also manage local markets, issue building permits, and oversee municipal police forces. As the government tier closest to citizens, districts serve as the primary point of contact for routine administrative matters and daily public services. District boundaries often correspond to natural geographic features or historical settlement patterns, and populations can range from a few hundred residents in rural Andean communities to hundreds of thousands in urban districts of major cities like Lima.