City records list mayors only after 1889 so not much is known about early mayors of Tipton. Various accounts of Tipton's history list J.B. Dritt, William Tipton Seely's land agent, as the first mayor.
The following mayors were mentioned in newspaper accounts of that year as being "mayor" or "President of the Council": 1881-George Keister; 1883-John B. Dritt; 1884 & 85-George Keister; and C.G. Ely.
The following is a list from the city records prepared by Mrs. Esther Reven:
| 1889-90 | J.M.Boyd |
| 1891-92 | W.T. Redmon |
| 1892 | Gustave Dueber- Acting Mayor |
| 1893-1902 | J.M. Boyd |
| 1903-06 | W.R. Patterson |
| 1907 | W.F. Quigley |
| 1908 | Andrew Schmitt-Acting Mayor |
| 1908 | W.A. Porter |
| 1909 | T.L. Callison-Acting Mayor |
| 1909-10 | T.L. Callison |
| 1911-12 | H.J. Becker |
| 1913-16 | J. Heinen Jr. |
| 1917-18 | F.W. Patterson |
| 1919-22 | S.P. James |
| 1923-24 | E.M. Carpenter |
| 1924 | W.A. Schmitt-Acting Mayor |
| 1925-28 | P.G. Gallager |
| 1929-30 | D.C. Hardy |
| 1931-44 | J. Heinen Jr. |
| 1945-54 | J.J. Brant |
| 1955-56 | Virgil R. Helms |
| 1957-60 | O.J. Stratman |
| 1961-66 | Dr. H.P. Stonner |
| 1967-70 | Ernest G. Knipp |
| 1971-72 | Henry Bass |
| 1973 | Ernest G. Knipp |
| 1973 | Virgil R. Helms-Acting Mayor |
| 1974-present | D.W. Fenton |