Richland Township is one of the thirteen townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Fairfield County

Fairfield County, Ohio

Fairfield County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 146,156. Its county seat is Lancaster. Its name is a reference to the Fairfield area of the original Lancaster....

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 1,940 people in the township, 1,540 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Thorn Township, Perry County
  Thorn Township, Perry County, Ohio
  Thorn Township is one of the fourteen townships of Perry County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,765 people in the township, 3,034 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Reading Township, Perry County
  Reading Township, Perry County, Ohio
  Reading Township is one of the fourteen townships of Perry County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,956 people in the township, 2,407 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Rush Creek Township
  Rush Creek Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
  Rush Creek Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,549 people in the township, 2,284 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Pleasant Township
  Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
  Pleasant Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,549 people in the township, 5,039 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west
• Walnut Township
  Walnut Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
  Walnut Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,436 people in the township, 4,545 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest

Two villages are located in Richland Township: Rushville

Rushville, Ohio

Rushville is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 268 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rushville is located at ....

 in the southeast, and West Rushville

West Rushville, Ohio

West Rushville is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 132.-Geography:West Rushville is located at ....

in the southwest.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.