The arrondissement of Montmorency was created in 1962 as part of the department Seine-et-Oise.[4] In 1968 it became part of the new department Val-d'Oise.[5] In March 2000 Sarcelles replaced Montmorency as subprefecture.[5][6] At the January 2017 reorganisation of the arrondissements of Val-d'Oise, it received two communes from the arrondissement of Pontoise, and it lost one commune to the arrondissement of Pontoise.[7]
As a result of the reorganisation of the cantons of France which came into effect in 2015, the borders of the cantons are no longer related to the borders of the arrondissements. The cantons of the arrondissement of Sarcelles were, as of January 2015:[8]