When elected county councils were created in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, Dundee Corporation was deemed capable of running county-level local government functions, and so the city was excluded from the area administered by Forfarshire County Council.

[4][5] In 1894, Dundee was made a county of itself, removing it from Forfarshire for judicial and lieutenancy purposes as well.

The City of Dundee district covered a larger area than the pre-1975 city, taking in the burgh of Monifieth and most of the landward district of Monifieth (covering a number of villages north of Dundee) from Angus,[a] and the parish of Longforgan (which included Invergowrie) from Perthshire.

The council area created in 1996 was smaller than the district which had existed between 1975 and 1996, being similar in extent to the pre-1975 city.

The first election to the City of Dundee District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing corporation until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975.

Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:[14] The role of Lord Provost of Dundee is largely ceremonial.

The front part of the building was built as a factory in 1911 and was later used as a printing works for DC Thomson.