Mainhausen is one of 13 towns and communities in the Offenbach district, lying in the southernmost part of Hesse right on the boundary with Bavaria.

In the Middle Ages, near Mainflingen, stood Hausen (Husen), which in 1357 was mentioned as an Imperial knightly fief from Hanau.

From the time between 775 and 799, various donations of landholdings to the Lorsch Abbey are recorded in the Manolfinger marca (a communally owned cadastral area).

In 1791, the community bought its way out of serfdom by paying the landlords, who were the Archbishop and Electors of Mainz, 250 Gulden.

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: The Odenwaldbahn (railway) makes a stop in Mainhausen’s centre of Zellhausen on the way towards Hanau, Frankfurt and Groß-Umstadt-Wiebelsbach (with connections to Erbach and Eberbach).

Mainhausen is also home to major transmission facilities broadcasting in both the medium wave and longwave bands.