The Palakollu Municipal Council (PMC) is the municipal governing body of the town. It was constituted as a municipality on 1 April 1919. The jurisdiction of the civic body is spread over an area of and has 32 municipal wards. Each ward is represented by a councilor, elected by popular vote. The Council Members democratically elected headed by a municipal chairman, who is the titular head of PMC; executive powers rest with the municipal commissioner, appointed by the state government. The PMC carries out the town's infrastructural work such as building and maintenance of roads and drains, town planning including construction regulation, maintenance of municipal markets and parks, solid waste management, the issuing of birth and death certificates, the issuing of trade licences, collection of property tax, and community welfare services such as mother and child healthcare, and pre-school and non-formal education.