The Municipality of Murraysburg was constituted on 10 March 1860 in terms of Proclamation No 16 of 1860 under provision of Ordinance No 9 of 1836.

In terms of the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993) the local government bodies in the Murraysburg Forum Area, namely the Municipality of Murraysburg and the Management Committee of Murraysburg, was dissolved and a transitional local council under the name “Municipality of Murraysburg” was established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 4885, 21 October 1994, Proclamation No 65, 5 October 1994).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Municipality of Murraysburg together with other municipalities was disestablished and the Beaufort West Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5593, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 508, 22 September 2000). The Beaufort West Local Municipality forms part of the larger Central Karoo District Municipality.