In the article, based on the analysis of doctrinal sources of domestic and foreign legal scholars, an attempt is made to establish the relationship between the concepts of civil society and public control. To solve this problem, the author analyzes the content and main features of these categories, as well as their relationship with the term rule of law. emphasize that civil society and public control are interrelated and complementary concepts. The development of civil society inevitably improves the efficiency of the organization and implementation of public control, which is its necessary tool that can neutralize illegal decisions and actions of public authorities. As for the legal provision of public control, it should be emphasized that the latter, although it has a certain normative basis in the form of separate articles of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine "On Access to Public Information", the Law of Ukraine "On Citizens' Appeals", the Law Ukraine "On democratic civilian control over the military organization and law enforcement agencies of the state", but deprived of a consolidating principle, as the Law of Ukraine "On Public Control". Civil society and public control are interrelated and complementary concepts.