Jurisdictional Gap

A situation in which no legal or administrative authority has a clear, enforceable responsibility over a particular issue, population, or area, resulting in neglected obligations, unregulated activity, or unresolved governance needs.

A situation in which no single legal authority, agency, or designated entity has clear statutory, operational, or de facto responsibility for a defined geographic area, subject matter, population, or operational task, producing an absence of assignable duty for that domain.