The article explores the organizational forms of activity of local governments in the lands that were part of the GDR during their stay in the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. During their stay in the GDR, local government bodies were part of the Socialist Unified Party of Germany and did not have self-government powers. Therefore, at least at this stage, there can be no talk of any 5th organizational form of local self-government. Local authorities were subordinate to the goals of planning and managing the regime of the Socialist Unified Party of Germany. The socialist united party of Germany secured its hegemony for power at the local level.Citizens were guaranteed the right to local self-government by the Law "On SelfGovernment of Communities and Areas in the German Democratic Republic" of May 17, 1990. In addition to issues of self-government, communities were required to carry out state-delegated authorities.The modern reform of local government in Germany is analyzed. So, in general, district reforms have led to a significant reduction in counties in the new federal states. The reform of local government has not yet been completed in all federal states, so the consequences of the reform in Thuringia are still expected.It is argued that, in reality, this fifth organizational form of local self-government does not exist in the Federal Republic of Germany, because the Federal Lands that used to be part of the Soviet occupation zone, as a result of territorial and functional reforms, adopted the experience of the types of organizational forms of activity of local self-government bodies existing in the Federal Republic of Germany and, as a result, gravitate towards the South German type of local constitution.It is summarized that the analysis does not exhaust the entire list of problematic aspects related to the organizational forms of activity of local authorities in Germany, on the basis of which such aspects should become the subject of further scientific development.