Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions.

[3] The council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at the Shire Hall in Nottingham.

The combined authority is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the East Midlands and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.

[7] Nottinghamshire County Council provides county-level services such as education, transport, social care, libraries, trading standards and waste management.

[8] District-level services are provided by the area's seven district councils:[9] Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

A replacement headquarters is under construction on the A611 Annesley Road in the parish of Linby, on the northern outskirts of Hucknall, due to open in 2025.

[24] Boundary changes in April 1952 adjusted the boundary between Nottingham and West Bridgford in this area to follow the centre of the River Trent, transferring the County Hall site and other areas on the south bank of the Trent from Nottingham to West Bridgford.