In the past, it used to be one of major urban centers of eastern Lesser Poland, placed on a merchant road from Kraków to Lublin, and further on to Lithuania.

The town was granted Magdeburg rights in 1405 by King Władysław Jagiełło, replacing two villages – Zaborzyce and Skorczyce, which had existed in the location of Urzędów.

Urzędów remained an important urban center of the area until the mid-17th century, when, after long-lasting conflicts with the Cossacks and the Swedes (see Deluge, Khmelnytsky Uprising) it was burned.

During the war, on September 23, 1939, German occupation authorities ordered that Jewish children be banned from state schools.

In October 1942 Jews from Urzędów were transported to the Kraśnik ghetto and Budzyń forced labor camp, which were just stopovers on their trip to Bełżec gas chambers.