City
Selma
Selma is an incorporated city in Fresno County with an estimated 2025 population of 24,702. It handles many rules and services inside its limits. The county still handles property records, taxes, elections, public health, and many household programs.
Starting point
Confirm the address is inside local limits first.
If the address is inside Selma, city offices may handle local permits, code, and services. If it is outside local limits, county planning or building may handle the work instead.
What changes the answer: A mailing city is not always the same as city government jurisdiction.
Place story
Selma still carries its Raisin Capital farm roots
Selma's economic profile still ties the city to its older names as A Peach of a City and the Raisin Capital of the World.
Read the local noteCity offices
Start with the task in front of you.
Selma is incorporated. Start with the city for work inside its limits, while Fresno County still handles property records, taxes, courts, elections, many benefits, and county alerts. Fresno County handles local public health.
- Property Open the property-tax guide
Assessed value, exemptions, tax bills, and appeals
Fresno County assessor handles value and exemptions. The clerk of the board handles a formal value appeal. The tax collector handles the bill, payment, and penalties.
- Records Open the records guide
Deeds, birth and death records, marriage records, and name changes
Fresno County recorder is the usual office for deeds and many public records. Vital-record access depends on the record and year. A legal name change or divorce decree can involve Superior Court.
- Property work Open local-office help
Building permits, ADUs, zoning, code, water, and septic
Start with the city planning or building office for an address inside Selma. Start with the county for an address outside local limits.
- Housing Open rent and housing help
Rent rules, repairs, notices, and eviction papers
Start with a local rent, housing, or code office if one serves the address. Court papers go to the Superior Court self-help path, and the deadline on the papers keeps running.
- Household help Open the benefits guide
CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, General Assistance, and IHSS
Fresno County social-services agency is the main local office. Coverage, food, cash aid, and in-home support remain separate programs with separate notices.
- Public health Open health and benefits help
Vaccines, disease reporting, health records, and local health programs
Fresno County public health is the local health jurisdiction. Health coverage and benefits still use separate programs and offices.
- Business Open the business guide
Business setup, seller's permits, local licenses, and regulated work
State filings and tax accounts do not replace Selma zoning, licensing, building, fire, or health approvals for the address.
- Neighborhood services Open local-office help
Potholes, streetlights, graffiti, trash, and service requests
For a city-maintained street or service inside Selma, start with the local request system. County roads, Caltrans routes, utilities, private property, and separate service providers use different reporting systems.
- School and care Open the school and care guide
School enrollment, student records, and child-care checks
The school district handles assignment and records. County offices can help with some family services, while the state licenses child-care facilities.
- Parking Open parking help
Residential, guest, overnight, and local parking permits
A local parking permit is separate from a citation, moving ticket, and toll notice. Match the permit to the address, vehicle, district, or parking facility.
- Tickets Open ticket help
Traffic court, parking citations, and toll notices
Fresno County Superior Court handles traffic court matters. A city or issuing agency handles parking. The toll operator handles toll notices.
- Safety Open emergency checks
Emergency alerts, evacuations, smoke, roads, and power
Use the county or city alert system for local warnings. Follow the local emergency office for evacuation wording, then check the matching state fire, smoke, road, or utility update.
Official city links
Start local when the address is inside Selma.
The official website is always listed. A direct service link appears only after an official public page has been checked; an unlisted service has not been guessed.
County offices
County offices still handle countywide work.
Selma does not replace the county for records, property taxes, courts, elections, benefits, public health, or county alerts. The official links stay together below.
Fresno County
City, county, and district responsibilities
The city line changes some rules, but not every public office.
The mailing address can say Selma even when the property sits outside local limits. Check the city line before relying on a local rule or permit page.
City limits choose the local permit office
Inside Selma, the city usually handles permits, zoning, parking, business licenses, and local code. Outside the city line, start with county planning or building.
The county still handles county work
Fresno County handles property value and tax bills. It also handles deeds, elections, health, and many aid programs. Living inside Selma does not move those jobs to the city.
A provider can have its own boundary
Water, sewer, fire, schools, transit, trash, and power may belong to a special district or other provider. Use the address, parcel, or service bill to find the right agency.
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for Selma
Countywide answer · Home and property · Reviewed July 14, 2026
Fresno County cooling centers do not share one trigger
The county heat page gathers local listings, but each government sets its own trigger and hours, and some listed locations may be closed.
Countywide answer · Home and property · Reviewed July 14, 2026
Fresno County's emergency page is a routing hub
The county emergency page links alert signup, warnings, evacuation areas, roads, outages, and cooling information. Each linked tool answers a different live question.
Countywide answer · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 22, 2026
Fresno County has a Development Services first stop
Fresno County points land-use and planning questions through Public Works and Planning's Development Services pages.
County practical note · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 4, 2026
FresGO 311 is Fresno's non-emergency city request door
Fresno residents can use FresGO 311 for non-emergency city issues such as graffiti, dumping, potholes, sidewalks, roads, landscaping, water, sewer, solid waste, parking, and missed-bin questions.
County practical note · Home and property · Reviewed July 3, 2026
Fresno bulky pickup runs through Operation Clean Up
Fresno residential solid waste customers can use Operation Clean Up for large household items, with pickup dates, account lookup, pile placement, and missed-service help handled through city trash pages.
County practical note · Money and taxes · Reviewed July 3, 2026
Fresno County property tax questions have a value side and a bill side
Fresno County property tax questions usually start with the Assessor for value and records, or the Tax Collector for bills and payments.
Stories & Notes
Stories and local context in Fresno County
County place story · History and culture
Fresno Chaffee Zoo grew from a very local beginning
Fresno Chaffee Zoo grew out of Roeding Park, schoolchildren's donations, Nosey the elephant, and a long civic push to turn a small animal collection into a major valley landmark.
County place story · History and culture
Shinzen gives Fresno a garden built around friendship
Shinzen Friendship Garden in Woodward Park grew from Fresno's sister-city ties with Kochi, Japan, and now gives the city a quieter place for garden paths, cultural events, and bonsai.
County place story · History and culture
Fresno helped launch the card that became Visa
The 1958 Fresno Drop tested BankAmericard with thousands of local customers, giving Fresno a surprising place in payment-card history.
County place story · History and culture
The Clovis Rodeo keeps the farm-town week on the calendar
The Clovis Rodeo grew from a 1914 community festival with horse races, picnics, games, and a parade into one of Fresno County's signature western events.
County place story · History and culture
Clovis grew where a railroad and timber flume met
Clovis began around railroad plans, grain shipping, Sierra timber, and a 42-mile flume that helped turn fields near Fresno into a working town.
County place story · History and culture
Fresno grew from a railroad stop into a streetcar downtown
Fresno's early city story runs through the Central Pacific Railroad, a green wheat field, the county seat move, streetcars, and downtown buildings.
County place story · History and culture
Fresno has an underground garden built as a heat escape
Forestiere Underground Gardens turns Fresno heat, hard soil, hand tools, tunnels, fruit trees, and one immigrant builder's long idea into a memorable local stop.
County place story · History and culture
Reedley's opera house rose from a downtown fire
The 1903 Reedley Opera House Complex grew out of a downtown fire and became a brick center for theater, commerce, meetings, and community life.
- 2025 population
- 24,702
- Land area
- 5.942 sq mi
- Water area
- 0 sq mi