Butler Township was incorporated in 1804 when Butler County was divided into 13 Townships. Butler Township was then subdivided into North and South Butler. It remained as such until 1854 when the Township was established within its present boundaries. The early settler to the area was William Kearns, a native of Ireland, who came here in 1795. He owned nearly 1,000 areas in Butler Township and Summit Township. Thomas McKee, a revolutionary war soldier, also came here in 1795 and settled on a tract of land three miles east of Butler.

Butler Township began to operate as a Township of the first-class on January 1, 1922, and its official records began at that time. Prior to that date, the typical second-class Township enacted no Ordinances, rules or regulations, and its records were meager accounts of routine activities. By law, Townships of the first-class were not required to record their Ordinances in an official Ordinance book until 1959. Butler Township has however, recorded their Ordinances since July of 1922. In November of 1965, Butler Township began to codify its enacted Ordinances.