Introduction. For the first time, the creation of the Civic Chamber in Russia was connected with the need to adopt a new Constitution in 1993, as well as to search for public consent and overcome political instability in the state. Despite the short period of its operation, the Civic Chamber, created by the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, served as the impetus for the creation of civic chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, many of which are continuously operating to date. Theoretical analysis. Today, Russia is on the way to the democratic transformation of all state institutions. The implementation of the fundamental constitutional provisions in the recognition of human rights and freedoms of a person and citizen as a supreme value is impossible without public control tools over the activities of public authorities. The civic chamber, functioning at both the federal and regional levels, promotes the dialogue between the government and society, and also directly participates in government decision-making, which contributes to meeting the urgent needs of society and the individual citizen. Empirical analysis. In the course of their activity, both the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and the civic chambers of the subjects of Russia, the functional elements of their legal status changed. This transformation took place under the influence of social trends of the Russian state and the needs of society as a whole. Results. The result of the analysis of the historical retrospective review of the creation process and activity of the Civic Chamber in Russia is the identification of the historical stages of the institution under consideration, as well as the need to ensure its independence and informational openness.