Panvel Municipal Council was formed on August 25, 1852 as the first municipal council in the country.The initial notification for converting Panvel Municipal Council to Municipal Corporation came in the year 1991 but was never finalised. After rapid urbanisation post-2000, Panvel Municipal Council was eventually upgraded to Municipal Corporation in 2016.Panvel Municipal Corporation is the first Municipal Corporation in Raigad district, 9th in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and 27th in the state of Maharashtra. The Municipal Corporation includes 29 revenue villages of Panvel taluka including CIDCO colonies of Taloja, Kharghar, Kalamboli, Kamothe, New Panvel covering area of 110km.

         Panvel (also known as Panwell by the British) is about 300 years old, developed around trade routes (both land and sea), during the Maratha rule and hence after by the Mughal rule, British and the Portuguese. Once upon a time, Panvel was famous for its rice market. Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) was established in the year 1852, and was the oldest municipal council of Maharashtra, before the formation of Panvel Municipal Corporation. Panvel Municipal Council's elections started in the year 1910. The first mayor of the PMC was Mr. Yusuf Noor Mohammed Master Kachchi for the years 1910–1916. The sesquicentennial anniversary (150th anniversary) of the PMC was celebrated in the year 2002. The city prospered and grew due to the influence of large scale trade by land and sea. This was characterised by the large palace-like homes that came up during the Peshwa period. It is also said that old name of this city was Paneli (Panelim in Konkani). There were historic cannons (during the time of Shivaji) situated on Panvel fort. On 1 October 2016, Panvel Municipal Corporation came into existence.

         Panvel is one of the cities in the district Raigad. It is also called the gate of Raigad because Panvel is the first city when entering in Raigad from east. It is also one of the most populous and developed cities in the district. Panvel is situated on the banks of the Gadhi river which flows and connects all the way to the Arabian sea. It is also surrounded by hills on two sides.Panvel lies approximately 40 kilometers east of Greater Mumbai, in Navi Mumbai, inside the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It is surrounded by the mountains of Matheran to the east and south east and outer regions of Panvel i.e. villages of Dundhare, Maldunge are separated from the suburbs of Badlapur and Ambernath by hilly ranges of the Western Ghats. It lies adjacent to the Navi Mumbai International Airport forming its eastern boundary.

         Panvel has a mix population consisting Agri samaaj, Muslims and Koli community. Panvel is a medium-sized city but densely populated as it strategically lays between Mumbai and Pune. The city is the headquarters of the Panvel sub-division of Raigad district, which is the largest in the district as per number of villages (564).