Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a royal charter issued by King James II of England on 30 December 1687 as the Corporation of Madras, it is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside Great Britain.

[8] Prior to the establishments of the corporation, the Governor of Madras or the company's agent managed the affairs of the Fort St George and its residents with the assistance of a headman, an accountant, and the head of watch and ward.

Complications arising out of these impositions and the growing expenses of an expanding town led to Sir Josiah drawing up plans for a more formal body of civic administration.

The corporation was inaugurated on 29 September 1688 with power to decide on petty cases, levy rates upon the inhabitants for building of schools, a town hall and a jail, when the new mayor, 12 aldermen and 60 burgesses took their oaths.

Nathaniel Higginson was the first Mayor, and he appointed representatives from the English, Scottish, French, Portuguese, and Indian mercantile communities as aldermen.

[9] In 1913, the corporation moved to the newly constructed Ripon Building, which was built on parts of the People's Park.

The building was named after Lord Ripon who, as Viceroy of India from 1880 to 1884, had introduced local government reforms.

The erstwhile municipalities that became a part of expanded Chennai Corporation are Kathivakkam, Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Maduravoyal, Valasaravakkam, Alandur and Ullagaram–Puzhuthivakkam.

The erstwhile town panchayats that became a part of expanded Chennai Corporation are Chinnasekkadu, Puzhal, Porur, Nandambakkam, Meenambakkam, Perungudi, Pallikaranai and Sholinganallur.

The erstwhile panchayat unions that became a part of expanded Chennai Corporation are Edayanchavadi, Sadayankuppam, Kadapakkam, Theeyampakkam, Mathur, Vadaperumbakkam, Surapet, Kathirvedu, Puthagaram, Nolambur, Karambakkam, Nerkundram, Ramapuram, Mugalivakkam, Manapakkam, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai, Injambakkam, Karapakkam, Okkiam Thoraipakkam, Madipakkam, Jalladiampet, Semmanchery and Uthandi.

The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state.

Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar to the southwest, and Kanchipuram, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.

As part of the 2022 Tamil Nadu urban civic body elections, the Greater Chennai Corporation went to polling on 19 February 2022, alongside 20 other municipal corporations of Tamil Nadu, to elect 200 councillors to represent the city's 200 wards; the councillors will choose one amongst themselves as the Mayor of Chennai, a historically significant, coveted office.

The Government of Tamil Nadu had announced that the Mayor's seat has been reserved for a Scheduled Caste woman this time.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) won 153 out of the total 200 wards in Chennai, with the other parties in its Secular Progressive Alliance winning 25 more seats—13 for Indian National Congress, four for Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M), four for Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), two for Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), one each for Communist Party of India (CPI) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

who was heading the education wing of the corporation suggested the Pandiya, Chola, Chera's symbol 'Fish, Tiger and Bow' (which he already had in his 'Tamil arasu kazhagam's flag).

[23] Chennai Corporation area is located on the Coromandel Coast in the central eastern coastal region of the Deccan plateau and the northern end of the state of Tamil Nadu.

[30] In 2014, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) planned to change its 11-kilo volt transformers with 1,784 ring main units (RMUs) that are compact and safe.

According to the development rules, when plots measuring more than 10,000 square metres are developed, 10% of the area must be reserved as open space and gifted to the local bodies, and in plots measuring between 3,000 and 10,000 square metres, if gifting of 10% of the area as open space is not possible, cash equivalent can be paid.

[37] Since 1976, the Chennai Corporation has been collecting OSR charges and taking possession of land under the open space reservation rules.

Indoor shuttle courts are located in Mandaiveli, R. R. Colony in Jafferkhanpet, Karpagam Avenue in Mylapore, and Nungambakkam.

[41] The civic body has also planned to construct 64 additional buildings on existing school campuses that require more classrooms.

In addition, libraries and a career guidance centre would be set up in all corporation high and higher secondary schools.

The corporation maintains three slaughterhouses in Perambur, Villivakkam, and Saidapet, where an average of 1,500 sheep and 150 cattle are slaughtered every day.

[43] The corporation maintains electric furnace units at the burial grounds at Villivakkam, Nungambakkam, GKM colony, and Arumbakkam.

[48] The company handles the three zones of Kodambakkam, Teynampet, and Adyar, also runs a toll-free telephone number to answer queries relating to waste management.

The city's telephone service is provided by three landline companies: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.

[61] There are four mobile phone companies: BSNL, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, which offers GSM services.

[66] Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area.

[80] In December 2014, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) adjudged the Chennai Corporation as the best among all the government departments in terms of e-governance.