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About MAT

Photo: Baytown Township

MAT supports the 1,780 townships throughout the 87 counties in Minnesota.
Through our support of MN townships we are helping over 922,000 people in their local communities.

Who We Are & What We Stand For

The Mission of the Minnesota Association of Townships (MAT) is to support and promote the township form of local government in Minnesota through educational programs, structured advocacy, vital collaboration, and procurement of critical resources fundamental to local governments.

We are a nonprofit corporation representing Minnesota’s 1,776 townships. MAT is a voluntary membership organization with membership generally coordinated through a town’s participation in a local County Township Association. The County Township Associations provide a forum for disseminating information and for resolving local problems. Each County Township Association has its own board of directors. There are over 9,000 town officers in the State.

MAT is guided by a 13-member board of directors representing 13 state districts. The office is located in St. Michael, Minnesota. MAT is managed by an executive director with a staff of 13 full-time employees, a contracted claims administrator, and a contracted lobbyist.
View MAT By Laws.


Based on the most recent data for the state demographer’s office, approximately 922,013 residents of Minnesota live in a Township. Townships provided a variety of services to these residents, including being responsible for the maintenance of approximately 55,000 miles of roads, more than any other single level of road authority in the State.

It is not uncommon for townships to organize or dissolve over time, causing the number of townships to change. Townships can organize from unorganized land (mostly in the Northern part of the state) while merging, annexation and incorporation into a city cause townships to dissolve. 1,801 is the most townships the state has ever had. The newest township is Long Lost Lake Township in Clearwater County—organized on November 8, 2005. The last township to dissolve was Credit River township in Scott County. Credit River agreed to incorporate as a city, and the process was completed on June 7, 2021.

View and Download Handout "Townships 101"

There are 1,776 townships across Minnesota

Representing about 16.4%

With over 900,000 total residents

Services & Support