A county is a type of upper-tier municipality that provides certain services across a geographic area containing multiple lower-tier municipalities (townships, towns, villages). Counties are most common in Ontario and Quebec, where they provide regional services like major roads, social services, and land use planning, while lower-tier municipalities handle local matters. This two-tier structure allows coordination on regional issues while maintaining local government for community-specific concerns. County councils typically consist of mayors or representatives from member municipalities. The county/lower-tier arrangement differs from single-tier municipalities that provide all services directly. Not all areas have counties—some regions are organized differently.