The commune was created in 1991 from a subdivision of Maipú.

As a commune, Cerrillos is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years.

The 2012-2016 mayor is Arturo Aguirre Gacitúa (PS), and the council has the following members:[2][3] Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Cerillos is represented in the Chamber of Deputies as a part of the 20th electoral district (together with Estación Central and Maipú).

The commune is represented in the Senate as part of the 7th senatorial constituency (Santiago-West).

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, the commune spans an area of 21 km2 (8 sq mi) and has a population of 71,906[4] living in 19,811 households,[1] giving it a population density of 3,424.1/km2 (8,868/sq mi).