District Chakwal is a barani (rain-fed) district with mainly hilly terrain lying at the beginning of the Potohar plateau and the Salt Range. It is covered with scrub forest in the south-west and levelled plains interspersed with dry rocky patches in the north-east. It was raised to the administrative status of a district in 1985.Before that it was a Tehsil of district Jhelum.

MC Chakwal was notified as Small Town Committee in 1924; Municipal Committee (Grade II) in 1935 and Municipal Committee (Grade I) in 1985. After the implementation of Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001, it was given the status of MC.