Formannskapsdistrikt (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈfɔ̂rmɑnskɑːpsdɪˌstrɪkt]) is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837.[1] The formannskaps law, which fulfilled an express requirement of the Constitution of Norway, required that every parish (Norwegian: prestegjeld) form a formannsskapsdistrikt (municipality) on 1 January 1838. In this way, the parishes of the state Church of Norway became worldly, administrative districts as well. (Although some parishes were divided into two or three municipalities.) In total, 396 formannsskapsdistrikts were created under this law, and different types of formannskapsdistrikts were created, also:
| Number of districts |
Type of district |
|---|---|
| 25 | City/town |
| 3 | City/town with a surrounding rural district |
| 12 | Lading places (ladested) |
| 1 | Rural district consisting of two (very small) seaports |
| 3 | Rural districts with dependent small seaports |
| 1 | Port and naval base |
| 1 | Rural district with dependent mining town |
| 350 | Rural districts |
| See below for a list of all districts, broken down by county. | |