The status of Tbilisi, as the nation's capital, is defined by the Article 10 in the Constitution of Georgia (1995) and the Law on Georgia's Capital – Tbilisi (20 February 1998).

Tbilisi is governed by the Tbilisi City Assembly (Sakrebulo) and the Tbilisi City Hall (Meria).
The City Assembly is elected once every four years.
The mayor is elected once every four years by direct elections.
The Mayor of Tbilisi is Kakha Kaladze and the Chairman of the Tbilisi city Assembly is Giorgi Alibegashvili.

Administratively, the city is divided into raions (districts), which have their own units of central and local government with jurisdiction over a limited scope of affairs.
This subdivision was established under Soviet rule in the 1930s, following the general subdivision of the Soviet Union.
Since Georgia regained independence, the raion system was modified and reshuffled.
According to the latest revision, Tbilisi raions include:
Mtatsminda District Including Neighborhoods: Mtatsminda, Sololaki, Vera, Kiketi, Kojori, Shindisi, Tsavkikisi, Tabakhmela
Vake District Including Neighborhoods: Vake, Bagebi, Vazha Pshavela Quarters, Nutsubidze Plateau, Tskneti
Saburtalo District Including Neighborhoods: Delisi, Vedzisi, Vashlijvari, Bakhtrioni, Khiliani, Didi Dighomi, Zurgovana
Krtsanisi District Including Neighborhoods: Kala, Ortachala, Ponichala
Isani District Including Neighborhoods: Avlabari, Navtlughi, Metromsheni, Vazisubani, Eighth Legioni
Samgori District Including Neighborhoods: Varketili, Third Array, Orkhevi, Dampalo, Lilo, Lower Samgori
Chughureti District Including Neighborhoods: Chughureti, Kukia, Svanetisubani
Didube District Including Neighborhoods: Didube, Didghomi Massive
Nadzaladevi District Including Neighborhoods: Nadzaladevi, Sanzona, Temka, Lotkini, Old Nadzaladevi
Gldani District Including Neighborhoods: Gldani Massive, Avchala, Mukhiani, Gldanula
Most of the raions are named after historic quarters of the city.
The citizens of Tbilisi widely recognise an informal system of smaller historic neighbourhoods.
Such neighbourhoods are several, however, constituting a kind of hierarchy, because most of them have lost their distinctive topographic limits.
The natural first level of subdivision of the city is into the Right Bank and the Left Bank of the Mt'k'vari.
The names of the oldest neighbourhoods go back to the early Middle Ages and sometimes pose a great linguistic interest.
The newest whole-built developments bear chiefly residential marketing names.

In pre-Revolution Tiflis, the Georgian quarter was confined to the southeastern part of the city; Baedeker describes the layout succinctly:
In the north part of the town, on the left bank of the Kurá and to the south of the railway station, stretches the clean German Quarter, formerly occupied by German immigrants from Württemberg (1818).
To the south is the Gruzinian or Georgian Quarter (Avlabár).
On the right bank of the Kurá is the Russian Quarter, the seat of the officials and of the larger business firms.
This is adjoined on the south by the Armenian and Persian Bazaars.

— Karl Baedeker, Russia: A Handbook for Travelers
Avlabari is considered "the integral component of the so-called 'old Tbilisi'" and is the object of planning and cultural heritage preservation.
The status of Tbilisi, as the nation's capital, is defined by the Article 10 in the Constitution of Georgia (1995) and the Law on Georgia's Capital – Tbilisi (20 February 1998).
Tbilisi is governed by the Tbilisi City Assembly (Sakrebulo) and the Tbilisi City Hall (Meria). The City Assembly is elected once every four years. The mayor is elected once every four years by direct elections. The Mayor of Tbilisi is Kakha Kaladze and the Chairman of the Tbilisi city Assembly is Giorgi Alibegashvili.
Administratively, the city is divided into raions (districts), which have their own units of central and local government with jurisdiction over a limited scope of affairs. This subdivision was established under Soviet rule in the 1930s, following the general subdivision of the Soviet Union. Since Georgia regained independence, the raion system was modified and reshuffled. According to the latest revision, Tbilisi raions include:
Mtatsminda District Including Neighborhoods: Mtatsminda, Sololaki, Vera, Kiketi, Kojori, Shindisi, Tsavkikisi, Tabakhmela
Vake District Including Neighborhoods: Vake, Bagebi, Vazha Pshavela Quarters, Nutsubidze Plateau, Tskneti
Saburtalo District Including Neighborhoods: Delisi, Vedzisi, Vashlijvari, Bakhtrioni, Khiliani, Didi Dighomi, Zurgovana
Krtsanisi District Including Neighborhoods: Kala, Ortachala, Ponichala
Isani District Including Neighborhoods: Avlabari, Navtlughi, Metromsheni, Vazisubani, Eighth Legioni
Samgori District Including Neighborhoods: Varketili, Third Array, Orkhevi, Dampalo, Lilo, Lower Samgori
Chughureti District Including Neighborhoods: Chughureti, Kukia, Svanetisubani
Didube District Including Neighborhoods: Didube, Didghomi Massive
Nadzaladevi District Including Neighborhoods: Nadzaladevi, Sanzona, Temka, Lotkini, Old Nadzaladevi
Gldani District Including Neighborhoods: Gldani Massive, Avchala, Mukhiani, Gldanula
Most of the raions are named after historic quarters of the city. The citizens of Tbilisi widely recognise an informal system of smaller historic neighbourhoods. Such neighbourhoods are several, however, constituting a kind of hierarchy, because most of them have lost their distinctive topographic limits. The natural first level of subdivision of the city is into the Right Bank and the Left Bank of the Mt'k'vari. The names of the oldest neighbourhoods go back to the early Middle Ages and sometimes pose a great linguistic interest. The newest whole-built developments bear chiefly residential marketing names.
In pre-Revolution Tiflis, the Georgian quarter was confined to the southeastern part of the city; Baedeker describes the layout succinctly:
In the north part of the town, on the left bank of the Kurá and to the south of the railway station, stretches the clean German Quarter, formerly occupied by German immigrants from Württemberg (1818). To the south is the Gruzinian or Georgian Quarter (Avlabár). On the right bank of the Kurá is the Russian Quarter, the seat of the officials and of the larger business firms. This is adjoined on the south by the Armenian and Persian Bazaars.
— Karl Baedeker, Russia: A Handbook for Travelers
Avlabari is considered "the integral component of the so-called 'old Tbilisi'" and is the object of planning and cultural heritage preservation.
Tbilisi