Abstract: The article concerns the evolution of the ideas of public self-government in the traditions of the natural law doctrine, theory of the "free community", public theory, public economic theory, concept of  social law, dualistic theory of local municipal self-administration. The author identifies and distinguishes the terms "public self-government", "self-government", "local self-government", "territorial public self-government". The author provides elements of public self-administration, classifying the organizations based upon public self-government. The author also provides organizational and legal forms of public self-government provided for by the current Russian legislation, discussing the problems of natural public and self-government nature of territorial public self-government.  The article involves methods of analysis and synthesis of the natural law concept and theory of public self-government. The author also applies methods of formal legal and systemic analysis for the development of public administration doctrine  in the early modern and modern periods.  The recognition of natural law categories of justice, equality and freedom, as formed within the concepts of classical authors of philosophy of law and representatives of the public theories of local self-government  by most of the legal systems around the world actualizes and stimulates the growing interest towards the issues of participation of citizens in local self-government. The issues of activation of the public participation in territorial public self-government and improvement of legal regulation of this municipal legal institution become especially topical.