Legal information, not legal advice. Every jurisdiction page carries its verification status and sources.

LawLegianceWorld Legal Atlas
All legal topicspublic

Administrative Law

Administrative law is the citizen's practical remedy against the state: licence refusals, benefit decisions, planning permissions and disciplinary rulings. Time limits for review are short and jurisdiction is often split between specialist tribunals and general courts.

Ask the AI assistantCompare jurisdictions

How 1 jurisdictions handle this

Reviewed· 2026-08-03

A separate administrative court order headed by the Conseil d'État

France separates administrative from ordinary justice. Disputes with the state go to tribunaux administratifs, then cours administratives d'appel, then the Conseil d'État.

Key rules

  • The recours pour excès de pouvoir seeks annulment of an unlawful administrative act.
  • The standard time limit to challenge a decision is two months from notification.
  • Référé procedures allow urgent suspension within days.

Governing law

  • Code de justice administrative
  • Code des relations entre le public et l'administration

Silence from the administration for two months is generally treated as an implicit rejection, which starts the clock for appeal.

Full France portal