It encompassed the roughly 25-square-kilometre (9.7 sq mi) area surrounding the Vigda river south of the Gaulosen fjord.

[9] The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Buvik inlet (Old Norse: Boðvík), a small bay located on a southern branch of the main Trondheimsfjorden.

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Buvik, removing the definite form ending -en.

At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Byneset prestegjeld and the Orkdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

[8] The municipality was located along the Gaulosen coast, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the city of Trondheim.

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Buvik was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms.