About NYC Community Boards

Community Boards are autonomous City agencies and members are City officers. The Community Boards play an important role in improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. The purpose of each New York City Community Board is to encourage and facilitate the participation of citizens within City government within their communities, and the efficient and effective organization of agencies that deliver municipal services in local communities and boroughs.

There are 59 community boards throughout the City, and each one consists of up to 50 unsalaried members, half of whom are nominated by their district's City Council members. There are 12 Community Districts in the Bronx, 18 in Brooklyn, 12 in Manhattan, 14 in Queens and 3 in Staten Island. Board members are selected and appointed by the Borough Presidents from among active, involved people of each community and must reside, work, or have some other significant interest in the community. City Council members nominate at least half of the appointees (divided proportionally based on the share of the district's population represented by each Council member).

Each community board has a District Manager who establishes an office, hires staff, and implements procedures to improve the delivery of City services to the district. While the main responsibility of the board office is to receive complaints from community residents, they also maintain other duties. Many boards choose to provide additional services and manage special projects that cater to specific community needs, including organizing tenants’ associations, coordinating neighborhood cleanup programs, and more.