The article deals with the legitimacy and legality of the urban self - government in Siberia in the second half of the XIX century-the beginning of the XX century. The main legal acts regulating the city reform of 1870 and 1892 are analyzed, the organization of the activity of post-reform local governments in the cities is considered. The author studies the composition of the city self-government bodies, the relationships that develop between different authorities in the cities as a result of the implementation of their power, and characterizes the main activities of the city authorities. It is noted that the legal acts regulating the reform were distinguished by their democratic nature, they introduced the institutions of representative democracy in the cities. At the same time, a small number of the population of cities had access to power, and even those who had the right to vote were reluctant to participate in the elections. The authors come to the conclusion that the improvement of the urban management system has led to a further reduction of voters and the separation of local governments from the population of cities. The political turmoil of 1905 led to the political bankruptcy of the city authorities due to the lack of legitimacy in the eyes of the main part of the population.