The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment.

The county administration is headed by a chief executive, Lar Power.

[4] Kilkenny County Council has two representatives on the Southern Regional Assembly who are part of the South-East Strategic Planning Area Committee.

[5] Members of Kilkenny County Council are elected for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) from multi-member local electoral areas (LEAs).

County Kilkenny is divided into municipal districts and LEAs, defined by electoral divisions.