The article is devoted to the topical problem of coordinating design solutions contained in the codes of rules for urban planning with legal mechanisms for establishing and changing the boundaries of settlements. As a result of the analysis of the regulatory framework, a stable "gap" was identified between the requirements for the design of boundaries as a tool for internal structuring of the territory and the mechanisms for the legal consolidation of the boundaries of a settlement as a legally significant boundary. Proposals have been developed to improve seven sets of rules aimed at creating a unified "procedural bridge" between design and legal solutions.