Tuaran (Malay: Pekan Tuaran) is the town and capital of the Tuaran District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of the state capital Kota Kinabalu, and is strategically situated along the main highway linking Kota Kinabalu with the north of Sabah. Tuaran is famous for its 9-storey Ling-San Pagoda Tower, which serves as a symbol and landmark of the town. Tuaran town also famous for its Tuaran fried noodles, a dish that has been passed down through generations. Many people visit Tuaran specifically to try this delicious noodle dish, as it’s made with a special kind of noodle that’s different from the usual ones. Its population was estimated to be around 128,200 in 2019 with half the population consisting of ethnic Dusuns, most of the Lotud ethnic subgroup as well of Bajau descent. The remainder is mostly of the Malaysian Chinese community, particularly from the Hakka subgroup and Malay.

This town is a popular stopover destination for tourists and people traveling to and from northern Sabah cities such as Kudat, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, and Tenghilan, as well as those on their way to Kota Kinabalu. Tuaran has experienced significant urban expansion, but recently, this growth has faced some obstacles due to the limited topography of Tuaran, as the town is surrounded by rivers. The town is bordered on three sides by the Tuaran River.

The existence of Tuaran in colonial records can be traced as far back as 1813, in official letters written by Sir Stamford Raffles, the then British Governor of Java, seeking permission to accept the Sultan of Brunei's invitation to deal with piracy issues at 'Jawaran' in the north of Borneo.

'Jawaran' is a corruption of the Malay word tawaran. Tawaran has two meanings; the first meaning is 'fresh water', referring to the importance of the Tuaran area as a source of freshwater for the locality. The second meaning is 'to bargain', which refers to the trading activities which had been taking place in the Tuaran area even before British colonisation commenced in 1884.

Another consideration is Tuaran came from word 'taaran' which mean river by Dusun ethnic.

The Tuaran District Council is the administration within the Tuaran district, covering administrative areas such as Pantai Dalit, Sulaman, Tamparuli, and Kiulu. It was established on January 1, 1958, under the "Rural Government Ordinance Cap. 132" and began operating as a Local Authority on January 1, 1962, under the Local Authorities Ordinance 1961 and the Tuaran District Council Deed 1961.

The administrative town of the Tuaran District Council is located in the town of Tuaran. Previously, the council's office was in the Small Secretariat Building in Tuaran. In 1994, the proposal to construct a new office complex for the Tuaran District Council was approved, and construction began. The new building, named the Tuaran District Council Complex, was completed and occupied by the end of 1997.

The current District Officer of Tuaran is Herman Tunggiging.