Because Mahe is a district of the Union Territory of Puducherry, it is governed by the Puducherry UT administration rather than the surrounding state of Kerala.
The district is overseen by a Regional Administrator, an official appointed by the Puducherry government. Mahe is represented politically by a single Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) elected to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly.
At the local level, civic administration is managed by the Mahe Municipality, which takes care of public health, sanitation, local roads, and urban planning. Public services such as policing and civil supplies are managed directly by UT departments operating out of Mahe.