The article is devoted to the study of the origin and evolution of the competence of local authorities in Rus in the period from the 10th to the 15th centuries, i.e., the period of the veche administration. The main doctrinal views of Russian historiographers and legal scholars on local government during the specified chronological period are examined and analyzed. The social composition and competencies of Rus governing bodies are analyzed, particularly the veche as a body of popular assembly and representation. A study of the historical and legal retrospective of the competence of local government bodies allows us not only to understand the evolution of their powers, but also to draw conclusions about their historical continuity with modern local government bodies in Russia.