Sultan is a non-charter code city with a mayor–council government. The city council meets twice per month at city hall and has seven members who are elected to four-year terms in non-partisan elections. The office of mayor is also a four-year position and is currently held by Russell Wiita, a former city councilmember who was elected in 2019. The city hall, located in downtown Sultan, is shared with a public library operated by Sno-Isle Libraries. An attempt to switch to a council–manager government was defeated by voters in 2003.