[4][5] The prestegjeld of Fron was established as a civil municipality on 1 January 1838 when the new formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect.

[6] During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee.

The last element is uncertain, but it may come from the word frón which means "earth" or "land".

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sør-Fron, using an alternate word for "south".

The official blazon is "Vert, a club argent in bend" (Norwegian: På grøn grunn ei skråstilt sølv klubbe).

The club has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used.

Kolbein then took the club and smashed to pieces the statue of the god Thor standing at Hundorp.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sør-Fron is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

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

The famous play Peer Gynt is staged annually at Lake Gålå in a mountainous region of Sør-Fron as part of a festival.