The municipality was established on 6 January 1908. Originally named Emu Bay, the name was changed to Burnie in 1931 following a petition from residents to name the council based on the town it was centred on. Burnie became a city council on 26 April 1988. The city's motto is "
non nobis solum" (not for ourselves alone); for many years this was on the council seal but in 1992 a new, more colourful logo was created that did not include the motto. It did also not include the emu (which had been Burnie's unofficial animal emblem). Burnie's floral emblem is the rhododendron. Burnie is classified as urban, regional and small (URS) under the Australian Classification of Local Governments. Burnie does not include the adjacent town of
Somerset that is sometimes classed as part of the Burnie metropolitan area. ==Council==