A local board of health had been established for Farnworth in 1863, which was reconstituted as an urban district in 1899, before being granted a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough in 1939.

Following abolition of the local authority in 1974, Farnworth became an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester.

Lying within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire since the early 12th century, Farnworth constituted a township in the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Deane.

[7] After the Public Health Act 1875 was passed by Parliament in that year, Farnworth Local Board of Health assumed extra duties as an urban sanitary district, although the Local Board's title did not change.

[9] Farnworth Urban District Council had six electoral wards, each denoted by points of the compass (North, North-East, North-West, South, South-East, and South-West wards), and each represented by three councillors.