Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837. The law, which fulfilled an express requirement of the Constitution of Norway, required that every parish (in Norwegian prestegjeld) form a formannsskapsdistrikt 1 January 1838. In this way, the Norwegian State Church districts of the country became worldly, administrative districts as well. (Some parishes were, however, divided into two or three formannskapsdistrikt.) In total, 396 formannsskapsdistrikt were created:

See below for details broken down into counties.

The introduction of self-government in rural districts was a major political change. The Norwegian farm culture (bondekultur) that emerged came to serve as a symbol of nationalistic resistance to the forced union with Sweden. The legislation of 1837 gave both the towns and the rural areas the same institutions: a minor change for the town, but a major advance for the rural communities. The significance of this legislation is hailed by a nationalistic historian, Johan Ernst Sars: