[1] The parish, which lies at the western end of the Blackdown Hills, includes the hamlets of Bagley Green, Sampford Moor, White Ball and Beam Bridge where a temporary terminus of the Bristol and Exeter Railway was established in 1843 until the line was completed to Exeter in 1844.

[3] The parish of Sampford Arundel was part of the Milverton Hundred,[4] The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny.

The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning.

Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.a For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council.

[5] It is also part of the Taunton and Wellington county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.