Thesaban

Thesaban (Thai: เทศบาล, rtgs: thetsaban, pronounced [tʰêːt.sā.bāːn]) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Both Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the thesaban system.

The municipalities assume some of the responsibilities which are assigned to the districts (amphoe) or communes (tambon) for non-municipal (rural) areas. Historically, this devolution of central government powers grew out of the Sukhaphiban (ุสุขาภิบาล) sanitary districts first created in Bangkok by a royal decree of King Chulalongkorn in 1897.

The thesaban system was established in the Thesaban Organization Act of 1934 (Thai: พระราชบัญญัติจัดระเบียบเทศบาล พุทธศักราช ๒๔๗๖), and has been updated several times since, starting with the Thesaban Act of 1939 (Thai: พระราชบัญญัติเทศบาล พุทธศักราช ๒๔๘๑), which was replaced by the Thesaban Act of 1953. The 1953 act was most recently amended by the Thesaban Act (No. 12) of 2003.

Thesaban nakhon (Thai: เทศบาลนคร) is usually translated as "city municipality". To qualify for city status a municipality needs to have a population of at least 50,000 and sufficient income to carry out the tasks of a city.

When first organized in 1934, the minimum qualifications for city status were a population of 30,000 with a density of 1,000 per km². In 1939 the required population density was increased to 2,000 per km², along with the addition of a financial requirement. In 1953 the population density requirement was again raised, to 3,000 per km², before being removed entirely in 2000.

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