Formation of local government system in the cities with district division in Ukraine is the reason of improvement of such local government as a city district administration. The process of formation and development of the district administrations in the cities has begun in Ukraine since 90-s years of 20th century. Moreover the development of a new mechanism of management of cities with district division involved the elimination of duplication of powers between the city and district councils in the city and involved better efficiency in decision making. For a long time the political scientist consider district administrations in the cities as intermediate form of government and form of realization of urban policy. That’s why the main aim of research is theoretical basis of institute of state administrations in the cities. The study analyzed concept of district administrations in the cities. Current legislation in the branch of local authority hasn’t definition of district administrations in the cities as the body of executive power. Legitimacy of district administrations in the cities is confirmed by article 11 of the Law «About local government in Ukraine», which says that executive bodies of village, town, city, district councils in the cities are their executive committees, units, departments and other executive bodies. In this way we can say that district administrations in the cities are «other executive bodies». According to this statement the governance the district in the cities through the district administrations is absent in scientific literature and in the laws about local government in Ukraine. As a result we can make conclusion that district administrations in the cities are executive regulatory body of the general power of city council. This body implements the main difficult tasks of district level and coordinates implementations of city council decisions and mayor orders at the territory of district within the powers and in the ways determined by the city council.