Selje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The original municipality was identical to the Selje parish (prestegjeld) with the sub-parishes (sokn) of Hove and V�gs�y.
In 1906 the sub-parish (sokn) of V�gs�y was divided in two: Nord-V�gs�y and S�r-V�gs�y. Then on 1 January 1910 these sub-parishes were separated from Selje to form municipalities of their own. The sub-parish of Hove was renamed Selje at the same time. After the separation, Selje had a population of 3,367 residents.
Later, on 1 January 1964, Nord-V�gs�y, S�r-V�gs�y, and parts of Selje were merged to form the municipality of V�gs�y. The parts of Selje involved were the island of Silda, the Hagevik-Osmundsv�g area, and the farms of S�rpollen and Straumen. There were 344 residents in those areas that were moved out of Selje.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the small island of Selja, since the first church was built there. The meaning of the name is unknown. Until 1889 the name was written Sel� or Sell�e.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was introduced in 1991. It shows the Saint Sunniva, who according to legend died as a martyr on the island of Selja.
Churches
The Church of Norway has three churches within the parish of Selje. It is part of the Diocese of Bj�rgvin and the Rural Deanery (Prosti) of Nordfjord
