Legal basis: Article 72 of the Legislative Law of People's Republic of China (PRC), the people's congresses and their standing committees of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government may formulate local regulations according to the specific conditions and actual needs of their respective administrative regions, provided that they are inconsistent with the Constitution, laws and administrative regulations.
The people's congresses of cities divided into districts and their standing committees may formulate local laws and regulations on urban and rural construction and management, environmental protection and historical and cultural protection. According to the specific situation and actual needs of this Municipality, on the premise that different constitutions, laws and administrative regulations conflict with local regulations of this province and autonomous region. Where there are other provisions in the law on the formulation of local regulations for cities divided into districts, such provisions shall prevail. Local regulations of a city divided into districts shall be submitted to the standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces and autonomous regions for approval before implementation. The standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces and autonomous regions shall review the legality of local regulations submitted for approval. If they do not conflict with the Constitution, laws, administrative regulations and local regulations of provinces and autonomous regions, they shall approve them within four months.
When the Standing Committee of the people's congress of a province or autonomous region examines the local regulations submitted for approval by a city divided into districts and finds that they are in conflict with the regulations of the people's government of the province or autonomous region, it shall make a decision on handling them.
Except for the cities where the people's governments of provinces and autonomous regions are located, the cities where special economic zones are located and the larger cities approved by the State Council, the specific steps and time for other cities divided into districts to formulate local regulations shall be determined by the standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces and autonomous regions, taking into account the population, region, economic and social development. The legislative needs and legislative capacity of the cities with districts under their jurisdiction shall be reported to the NPC Standing Committee and the State Council for the record.
Autonomous Prefecture People's Congress and its Standing Committee may exercise the functions and powers of a city divided into districts to formulate local regulations in accordance with the provisions of the second paragraph of this article. The specific steps and time for the Autonomous Prefecture to formulate local regulations shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
Local regulations formulated by the cities where the people's governments of provinces and autonomous regions are located, the cities where the special economic zones are located and the larger cities approved by the State Council do not fall within the scope of matters specified in the second paragraph of this article, and shall remain valid.