The title was Stiftamtmann before 1919, and in 1919 all stiftamt were abolished in favor of equal counties (Norwegian: fylker).
The diocesan governor is the government's representative in the diocese which was made up of multiple subordinate counties.
The governor carries out the resolutions and guidelines of the Storting and government.
This is done first by the governor performing administrative tasks on behalf of the ministries.
Secondly, the diocesan governor also monitors the activities of the county governors and the municipalities and is the appeal body for many types of municipal decisions.