On March 20, 1962, the Board of Supervisors created the position of County Administrative Assistant. The title was changed to County Administrative Officer on March 17, 1964. The current ordinance establishing the powers and duties of the office dates from December 10, 1969. Humboldt County has been recognized as a general management local government by the International City / County Management Associationsince 1971. In 1995, the county’s Revenue Recovery Division was transferred to the County Administrative Office. Revenue Recovery collects court fines as directed by theSuperior Court of California, outstanding fees due to the county in association with court cases, victim restitution, and other delinquent fees owed to various county departments
In 2005, the office expanded again with the addition of several divisions of the former General Services Department. Since that time, the office has been responsible for operating a number of internal service functions that provide services to other county departments, including Communications, Information Technology, and Purchasing.