Departmental District of the Rhône

The departmental district of the Rhône (circonscription départementale du Rhône) is a deconcentrated administrative district of the French State, not a commercial enterprise. It is the territorial framework through which national government services are delivered across the area historically corresponding to the Rhône department (Insee and La Poste code 69). Since 1 January 2015, it has the distinctive feature of spanning two territorial collectivities: the Rhône department (Insee code 69D) and the Métropole de Lyon (Insee code 69M). The district is headed by the prefect of the Rhône, whose competence extends over both the Métropole de Lyon and the Rhône department, with the prefecture remaining in Lyon and a sub-prefecture in Villefranche-sur-Saône. The district's role is to coordinate and deliver State services in the territory. Its official portal, rhone.gouv.fr, provides online procedures for identity cards, passports, driving licences, vehicle registration (carte grise), immigration and integration services, as well as news, public information and access to France Services networks. It also publishes major dossiers on topics such as integration, quality and transparency, and State communications in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. As an administrative division, the district is not a brand, company or product platform. It has no commercial offering, no ownership structure in the corporate sense, and no shareholders. Its 'customers' are residents and businesses interacting with State services. The entity is state-owned and publicly administered, with its legal basis in French legislation on territorial administration, notably the law of 6 February 1992 and the MAPTAM law of 27 January 2014, supplemented by the ordinance of 19 December 2014. Because the subject is a public administrative district rather than a commercial brand, this dossier is provided for completeness and flagged for review. It should not be treated as a commercial brand entry in the knowledge base.

The territory of the Rhône constituted, until 1 January 2015, a departmental district of the State's deconcentrated services within the meaning of Article 2 of the law of 6 February 1992 on the territorial administration of the Republic. The MAPTAM law of 27 January 2014 created, on the territory of Grand Lyon and in place of the Rhône department, a collectivity with special status: the Métropole de Lyon. This new entity exercises both the competences of an intercommunal structure and those of a department. Rather than creating a specific State representation and deconcentrated services for the new metropolitan entity, an ordinance of 19 December 2014 decided that 'changes in the boundaries of territorial collectivities do not affect the administrative districts of the State.' Consequently, the territorial competence of the prefect of the Rhône extends over both the Métropole de Lyon and the Rhône department. The ordinance also provided that 'in the departmental district of the Rhône and unless otherwise provided, public establishments, establishments of public utility, professional orders and associations whose existence is provided for by law or regulation at the departmental level are competent over the entire territory of the Rhône department and the Métropole de Lyon.' A prefectoral order redrew the arrondissements of the Rhône so that the arrondissement of Lyon would fully integrate the territory of the Métropole. This was further redrawn as of 1 February 2017, and since that date it includes eight intercommunal structures from the south of the Rhône department in addition to the Métropole. Thus, the prefecture of the departmental district of the Rhône remains in Lyon and its sub-prefecture in Villefranche-sur-Saône, the chef-lieu of an arrondissement. In 2023, the department counted 1,914,667 inhabitants, an evolution of +3.87% compared with 2017 (France excluding Mayotte: +2.36%). The district is bordered by the departments of Ain to the east and north-east, Isère to the south-east, Loire to the west and south-west, and Saône-et-Loire to the north.

• Law of 6 February 1992 on the territorial administration of the Republic provides the framework for the departmental district of the State's deconcentrated services.

• MAPTAM law of 27 January 2014 creates the Métropole de Lyon on the territory of Grand Lyon, replacing the Rhône department for that area.

• Ordinance of 19 December 2014 states that changes in the boundaries of territorial collectivities do not affect the administrative districts of the State, maintaining the prefect of the Rhône's competence over both the Métropole de Lyon and the Rhône department.

• 1 January 2015: the departmental district of the Rhône begins to span two territorial collectivities, the Rhône department (69D) and the Métropole de Lyon (69M).

• 1 February 2017: the arrondissement of Lyon is redrawn to include eight intercommunal structures from the south of the Rhône department in addition to the Métropole.

1. 1Accueil - Les services de l'État dans le Rhônerhone.gouv.fr
2. 2Services de l'État - Les services de l'État dans le Rhônerhone.gouv.fr
3. 3Téléservices - Démarches - Les services de l'État dans le Rhônerhone.gouv.fr
4. 4Culture - Services de l'État - Les services de l'État dans le Rhônerhone.gouv.fr
5. 5departmental district of the Rhône - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Circonscription départementale du Rhône - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org