Public relations can be simply defined as the communication between an organization and the public. Even though the practice of public relations is known from the earliest civilizations, the modern concept as we know it today has emerged in the early 20th century. Since its inception, public relations has been significantly evolving and developing, hence today is recognized as a profession and a multidisciplinary scientific field. It is critical to point out that public relations practices differ significantly between the private and public sectors. In the public sector, public relations practices are subject to partial control based on laws and regulations. The communication strategies employed by state and local authorities with the public represent a distinct and specialized area within this field. Over the last three decades, we are witnessing a notable development of public relations in the Republic of Croatia, so all major cities have well-established public relations offices. Moreover, counties and municipalities, in addition to adhering to legally mandated transparency and information accessibility, are increasingly engaging in communication to their public about their projects and affairs significant to the local communities, also they share news and highlights from various facets of social life. The primary objective of this paper is to provide an in-depth definition of public relations, present its evolution with all its particularities within the public sector. The main point of the paper includes public relations in local government, accompanied by clarification of the laws that partially govern these relations. The concluding segment of the paper offers an analysis of public relations in practice based on the example of the Municipality of Mali Bukovec. Additionally, the paper presents the results of research conducted on the primary sources of information for residents of the Municipality of Mali Bukovec, followed by the conclusion based on the findings presented in the paper.