Forsand is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now divided between Sandnes Municipality and Strand Municipality in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre was the village of Forsand. Other villages in the municipality included Lysebotn, ÃÂvre Espedal, Oanes, Kolabygda, and Fløyrli.
Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 141st largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Forsand Municipality was the 378th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 5.2% over the previous 10-year period.
Forsand Municipality surrounded the famous Lysefjorden and it was located on the east side of the Høgsfjorden. In 1999, evidence of a population here dating back to around 7500 BC was located.
The municipality of Fossan (later spelled Forsand) was established on 1 January 1871 when the large Høgsfjord Municipality was divided into two: the district located east of the Høgsfjorden (population: 2,081) became the new Fossan Municipality and the remaining parts of Høgsfjord Municipality that were located west of the Høgsfjorden (population: 1,122) changed its name to Høle Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, all of Forsand Municipality located south and east of the Frafjorden was transferred to the neighboring Gjesdal Municipality. The reason for this border change was because the southern part of Forsand had no road connection with the rest of Forsand, but it was connected by road to Gjesdal.
On 1 January 2020, Forsand Municipality was dissolved. The area on the northwestern shore of the Lysefjorden around the Preikestolen became a part of the neighboring Strand Municipality and the rest of Forsand became part of Sandnes Municipality.
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Forsand farm () since the first Forsand Church was built there. The first element is which means "sticking out" or "protruding". The last element is which means "sand" or "sandy beach".
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Fossan. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Forsand.
The coat of arms was granted on 11 March 1988 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Vert, a heron vigilant argent" (). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a heron standing on one leg. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of the local forests and wildlife. The heron was chosen since it is a common bird that lives in the area, from the fjords all the way up into the mountains. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
The Church of Norway had one parish () within Forsand Municipality. It was part of the Ryfylke prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
Forsand was a large municipality that is very mountainous with a long, narrow fjord running through the middle from east to west. The Lysefjorden is surrounded by very steep tall cliffs such as Kjerag and Preikestolen, with the Lysefjord Bridge crossing the fjord near the western end. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Lysekammen. The famous Kjeragbolten boulder and Kjeragfossen waterfall were located along the inner part of the fjord. The village of Lysebotn is located at the eastern end of the fjord. The lake Nilsebuvatnet is located high up in the mountains, north of Lysebotn along the border with Strand Municipality. It is regulated for hydroelectric power use at the Lysebotn Hydroelectric Power Station.
Strand Municipality was located to the northwest, Hjelmeland Municipality was located to the north, Bykle Municipality (in Aust-Agder county) was located to the northeast, Sirdal Municipality (in Vest-Agder county) was located to the east, Gjesdal Municipality was located to the south, and Sandnes Municipality was located to the west.
While it existed, Forsand Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Ryfylke District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council () of Forsand Municipality was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor () of Forsand Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position: