The administrative centre was the village of Bøvågen, where Hordabø Church is located.

[3] During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee.

The prefix Horda- was added to distinguish this "Bø" from several other municipalities with the same name.

The prefix comes from the word hǫrðar which is the Old Norse name for the people from Hordaland.

[6] The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hordabø was made up of 19 representatives that were elected to four year terms.