The area was, until 1974, the civil parish of Llangollen Rural, governed by Llangollen Rural Parish Council and located in the county of Denbighshire.[3] It became the Community of Llangollen Rural under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, which also saw it transferred into the new county of Clwyd. When the latter was abolished in 1996, Llangollen Rural was initially included in the new county of Denbighshire, but was transferred to Wrexham County Borough following a 1998 referendum.
The community elects or co-opts 10 community councillors to Llangollen Rural Community Council, at the lowest level of local government.[4]