Abstract: The subject of this research is the “service” category, content and aspects of which are formulated upon the achievements of the economic and legal thought, but were not coordinated, which led to differentiated and incoherent normative regulation. Democratic transformations of the Russian state of the late 80’s and 90’s led to the strengthening of the government role in service relations. At first glance, such involvement contradicts the public law role of the state, since “service” is associated with the private sphere of relations that is based on commercial approaches. But in the Western European countries the governments actively participate in such relation on the bases of post-neoclassic theory of public services, which was adopted by the Russian legislator in formation of concepts of administrative reforms. The conclusion was formulation of an original definition of “service”, “state service” and “municipal service”, with consideration of the theory of public services and active participation of public branches of government in service relations.