The contribution is devoted to the issue of sustainable development tools, the relevant legal regulations, which stipulate the rights and obligations of the public administration in applying the principles of sustainable development to achieve the balance of its economic, social and environmental components. In the research part of the contribution, which is based on questionnaire survey and interviews, the training of public administration officials in the field of sustainable development as well as the application of acquired knowledge and experience into practice will be analysed. The public administration officials are considered to be able to directly or indirectly influence the behaviour of sustainable development actors. The aim of this paper is to verify how the administrative authorities use their legal rights in sustainable development to achieve the balance of its economic, social and environmental components.