Strategic planning is seen as a key factor in solving innovative modernization problems and increasing competitiveness of the Russian Federation’s economy. Basic features of the strategic planning system are considered, the same as the necessary preconditions of its effective use in the sphere of public administration. The paper specifies basic problems, constraining transition to the system of strategic planning at all levels of administration. Special attention is paid to the formation of legal base  for strategic planning and need to refine the existing draft law.