Civic Academy · Jurisdiction Guide
Who’s in charge?
Who does what — four ways in: the registry · the untangler · the matching game · count the powers
This is a learning game, not a legal reference. Scenarios are simplified. For the law itself, see how we verify.
Roads, water, police, schools, health care — on the Navajo Nation, the answer to “who handles this?” depends on layers of authority that overlap. This guide is the untangling.
The layers
Five levels of authority touch life on the Nation
Chapter — the local government closest to home (land-use planning, local priorities, community advocacy). Navajo Nation — the three branches in Window Rock and their divisions (Title 2 structure, Nation-wide law and programs). Federal — trust responsibility agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Indian Health Service (IHS), and federal courts for certain matters. State — Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah each touch parts of the Nation (some roads, state-funded services, off-Nation matters). County & school district — property assessment, some public schools, some roads. A single problem — one bad road — can involve three of these at once.
Common problems, likely doors
Roads
Depends on the road: BIA routes, Navajo DOT routes, county roads, and state highways each have a different owner. First question to ask: whose route number is on it? Infrastructure 101 →
Water & utilities
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) for utility service; the Nation and federal programs for new lines and rights; chapters for local priority lists. Infrastructure 101 →
Health care
IHS facilities answer to the federal government; 638-contracted facilities answer to their tribal boards — two doors that look alike and work differently. 638 vs IHS oversight →
Land & homesites
Homesite leases, grazing permits, and land withdrawals each run through their own process involving the chapter, the Nation, and often the BIA. Land, Grazing & Homesite Leases 101 →
Schools
Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, public school districts, grant schools, and Diné College each answer to different boards and funders. Education 101 →
Complaints about officials
Elected-official ethics goes to the Ethics & Rules Office; employee matters go to HR/Office of Navajo Labor Relations (ONLR); money matters to the Auditor General or fraud hotline. How to file a complaint →
How to find out for yourself
Three questions untangle most jurisdiction knots: Who funds it? (money is authority) · Whose law governs it? (Navajo Nation Code, federal statute, or state law) · Who hires the people who run it? Ask those at your chapter house or of any office, and you’ll usually find the right door — or discover the problem sits in a seam between doors, which is worth naming out loud. See jurisdiction tangles on The Runaround →
Drafted with AI assistance as a general orientation, reviewed by volunteers — offices and programs change, so verify with the office itself before acting. Spot an error? Tell us.
Test yourself: Whose Job Is It? → · What these offices actually do →