The 1986 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 8 May 1986 to elect members of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party kept overall control of the council.
20 seats were contested in the election: 12 were won by the Labour Party, 5 by the Conservative Party, 2 by the Liberal Party and 1 by the Social Democratic Party After the election, the composition of the council was:
Prior to the election the composition of the council was:
| 36 | 20 | 4 | |
| Labour | Conservative | L |
After the election the composition of the council was:
| 38 | 17 | 5 | |
| Labour | Conservative | L |