Payyanur is a municipal town and a taluk, which serves as a sub-district administrative unit, located in the Kannur district of Kerala, India. Situated on the banks of the Perumba River, it was officially inaugurated as the fifth taluk in the district by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on March 10, 2018.
The Payyanur taluk comprises 22 villages, which include six from the Kannur taluk and 16 that were de-linked from the Taliparamba taluk. The town is notable for being the first municipality in Kerala to establish libraries in all of its wards.