On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Nesna.

The official blazon is "Per chevron inverted Or and Azure" (Norwegian: Delt av gull og blått ved omvendt sparresnitt).

This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided by a line in the form of an inverted chevron pattern.

The background above the line has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used.

The arms are a canting of the name of the municipality (Nesna comes form nes which means headland in Norwegian).

The arms show a yellow-colored "headland" or peninsula surrounded by blue water.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nesna is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms.

The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Here is a list of people who have held this position:[34] The highest point in the municipality is the 921.75-metre (3,024.1 ft) tall mountain Tommskjevelen.

(Note: The historical tellingskrets 4, Nordsjona og Kvalnes, and 5, Myklebostad og Venes, are now part of Vefsn Municipality, while the historical tellingskrets 8, Bardal; 9, Sørlandet; and 10, Lilandet Fagerviken, are now part of Leirfjord Municipality).

This tradition began to change in the mid to late 19th century, and inherited surnames were codified into law in 1923.