[6] The parish of Østre Moland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law).

[7] On 1 January 1875, a small part of the town of Arendal (population: 22) was transferred to Østre Moland.

In 1936, a small area of Øyestad municipality (population: 33) was transferred to Austre Moland.

In 1944, a small area of Austre Moland (population: 44) was transferred to the town of Arendal.

The prefix østre (which means "eastern") was added to differentiate the place from Vestre Moland which was located a little further south along the coast of Norway.

[10] The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Austre Moland was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms.