Elected county councils were created under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions.

The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first meeting at Shire Hall, Hertford, the courthouse (built 1771) which had served as the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council.

Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.

The council is based at County Hall on Pegs Lane in Hertford, lying to the south-west of the town centre.

The building was completed in 1939; there was no opening ceremony due to the outbreak of the Second World War.