The parish of St Levan, (Cornish: Selevan), lies 10 miles south west of Penzance and takes its name from the patron saint of the church, St. Selevan. It is a civil parish and every four years elects a parish council consisting of ten councillors.
The principal local authority is Cornwall Council. Though originally part of the parish of St Buryan, St Levan has a boundary to the north east with St Buryan, to the east and the south with the sea, and to the west with Sennen. It lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which carries the same status and protection as a National Park.
The parish comprises roughly 2,402 acres (10 km2) of land, 3 acres (12,000 m2) of water and 31 acres (130,000 m2) of foreshore. Parish Council meetings are normally held on the second monday of the month in the St Levan Pavilion.