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The division of Port Elizabeth was subdivided into six districts for Divisional Council purposes by means of a Proclamation dated 7 July 1856, published in the Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 2733, and in terms of the provisions of Act No 5 of 1855.

The Divisional Council of Dias was established on 1 January 1978 following the amalgamation of the former Divisional Councils of Port Elizabeth, Alexandria and Bathurst (W Albertyn: Official South African Municipal Yearbook, 1979, p 135).

By proclamation of 18 November 1847 a municipal board for Port Elizabeth was established, consisting of eight commissioners (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 2190 of 18 November 1847). By Act No 3 of 1860 Port Elizabeth became a municipality under the control of a mayor and town council. This act was re-enacted with amendments by Act No 14 of 1868. By Ordinance No 13 of 1913 the status of the municipality was elevated to that of a city.

In 2001, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality was formed as an administrative area covering Port Elizabeth, the neighbouring towns of Uitenhage and Despatch and the surrounding agricultural areas.

In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee (ECGNC) announced that the city of Port Elizabeth would likely have its name changed to Gqeberha, a Xhosa word used to refer to the Baakens River, which flows through the city. The proposal garnered significant local opposition. Despite this, on 23 February 2021, the city was officially renamed Gqeberha.