The current administrative division of Latvia came into force on 1 July 2021. Previous municipal reforms after the restoration of Latvian independence were enacted in and 1990 (when parishes, which had been abolished during the Soviet occupation, were restored).
On 10 June 2020, the Saeima approved a municipal reform that would reduce the 110 municipalities and nine republic cities to 42 local government units consisting of 35 municipalities (, novads) and seven state cities (valstspilsÃÂtas, valstspilsÃÂta). The municipalities are also further divided into 71 cities/towns (pilsÃÂtas, pilsÃÂta) and 512 parishes (pagasti, pagasts; also rural territories).
The main law regulating the administrative division of Latvia and local governance is the Law on Administrative Territories and Populated Areas of 2020 ().
The main legislature of the municipalities and state cities with independent governments is the Municipal Council or the dome (also 'Council of the Local Government'), which is elected every 5 years and elects the head of the municipality - the Council Chair ( / priekà ¡sÃÂdÃÂtÃÂja, also 'Chairperson of the Council') from its ranks.
On 1 June 2021, the Constitutional Court of Latvia ruled that the annexation of VaraküÃÂni Municipality to RÃÂzekne Municipality was unconstitutional. In response, the Saeima decided to preserve the existence of VaraküÃÂni Municipality as a 43rd local government unit until 2025. On 30 June 2024 the Saeima decreed that VaraküÃÂni Municipality will be merged into Madona Municipality immediately after the 2025 Latvian local elections. VaraküÃÂni Municipality officially ceased to exist on 1 July 2025 with the first session of the new Madona Municipality Council.
The 2020 law on administrative territories and populated areas designated Ogre and the previous nine republic cities as state cities. It also provided for the promotion of Iecava and Koknese to state city status on 1 July 2021. However, under the same law, only the seven state cities listed in the following table will have local governments which are independent of any municipality.
Of the remaining three state cities, JÃÂkabpils and Valmiera became part of JÃÂkabpils Municipality and Valmiera Municipality respectively on 1 July 2021, while Ogre is similarly a part of the Ogre Municipality.
As of 7 June 2025, there are 35 municipalities in Latvia: