The North Riding of Renfrew initially consisted of the Townships of Ross, Bromley, Westmeath, Stafford, Pembroke, Wilberforce, Alice, Petawawa, Buchanan, South Algona, North Algona, Fraser, McKay, Wylie, Rolph, Head, Maria, Clara, Haggerty, Sherwood, Burns, Richards, and any other surveyed Townships lying northwesterly of the said North Riding.

In 1903, it was redefined to consist of the townships of Algona North, Algona South, Alice, Bromley, Buchanan, Fraser, McKay, Pembroke, Petawawa, Rolph, Ross, Stafford, Westmeath, Wilberforce and Wylie, the town of Pembroke, the village of Cobden, and the part of the village of Eganville lying within the township of Wilberforce.

In 1924, "Renfrew North" was defined to consist of that part of the county of Renfrew lying north and east and including the townships of Ross, Bromley, Wilberforce, Algona (North and South), and Fraser, and including the part of the territorial district of Nipissing lying east of and including the townships of Cameron, Deacon, Anglin, Dickson, Preston, and Airy.

It was redefined several times following that, but generally included most of Renfrew County and the eastern part of Nipissing.

The electoral district was abolished in 1976 when it was redistributed between Nipissing, Parry Sound-Muskoka and Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke ridings.