Nasuprot građanskom pravu, teorija upravnog prava pojam javnog dobra shvaća kao dobro (stvar) koje je s jedne strane u općoj upotrebi, te kojim se uz primjenu načela jednakosti smije služiti svatko. Pri tome nitko ne smije onemogućavati ili ometati drugoga u korištenju toga dobra ukoliko se taj drugi njime služi na uobičajen način, sukladno njegovoj naravi. Pored toga, javno dobro ima svojstvo da je ono kao takvo izuzeto iz građanskopravnog prometa. Teorija građanskog prava u Hrvatskoj ove stvari naziva stvarima od interesa za Republiku Hrvatsku, oslanjajući se na formulaciju iz članka 52. hrvatskog Ustava. U teoriji upravnog prava uobičajila se dioba javnih dobara s obzirom na objekt, prema načinu nastanka, prema njihovoj namjeni, prema kriteriju vlasništva (mogu li ili ne biti predmet građanskopravnog vlasništva). U tom smislu razlikuju se zemljišno dobro, vodno dobro, pomorsko dobro, te zračno dobro. Javna dobra dijele se i prema načinu nastanka (javna dobra nastala prirodnim putem, te ljudskim djelovanjem). Nadalje, javna dobra dijele se prema kriteriju njihova nastanka, prema njihovoj namjeni, te prema kriteriju vlasništva. Daljnje pitanje koje se javlja s tim u svezi jest upravljanje javnim dobrima, te pravo na njega mogu imati država i jedinice lokalne odnosno područne (regionalne) samouprave, javne ustanove (muzeji, arhivi, knjižnice), te posebna javna poduzeća. Autor obrađuje i pitanja proglašenja postanka i prestanka javnog dobra u onim slučajevima gdje to po samoj prirodi javnog dobra nije suvišno kao u slučaju zračnog, odnosno pomorskog dobra. Navode se primjeri pojedinih hrvatskih zakona kojima su uređena pojedine vrste javnih dobara. Pitanja razgraničenja javnog dobra i njegova korištenja također predstavljaju važno područje uređenja javnih dobara. Sporovi u svezi s javnim dobrom mogu se javiti zbog načina korištenja javnog dobra, primjerice u pitanju može li se neko dobro smatrati javnim. Za donošenje takvih odluka svakako je nadležna državna uprava, a za odlučivanje o pojedinim spornim pitanjima koja se jave u svezi s korištenjem i upravljanjem javnim dobrima može se propisati nadležnost suda. Nastavljajući svoja izlaganja, autor se bavi i pitanjima nadzora nad javnim dobrom, evidencije javnih dobara, te njihove zaštite.As opposed to civil law, the theory of administrative law comprehends the concept of public good as a good (thing) which, on the one hand, is in general use, and which everyone can use according to the principle of equality. Therein no one may impede or stop someone else from using that good as long as it is being used in its usual way according to its nature. Furthermore, a public good has the characteristic that it is exempt from civil law transaction. The theory of civil law in Croatia calls these things items of interest to the Republic of Croatia, relying on the formulations from article 52 of the Croatian Constitution. In the theory of administrative law, the division of public goods was practised taking into account the object, how it was created, its purpose, and the criterion of ownership (whether or not it can be the subject of civil legal ownership).
In this sense land, water, maritime, and air goods are differentiated. Public goods are also divided according to how they came about, (public goods created naturally and by human action). Furthermore public goods are divided according to the criteria of their creation, of their purpose and of ownership. A further question which arises is the administration of public goods. The state, units of local government (regional), public institutions (museums, archives, libraries) and special public companies have the right such goods. The author also analyses the question of when these goods were declared existent as public goods and when they ceased to be public goods as in those cases where by its very nature of a being public good this is not superfluous as in the case of air or maritime goods. Examples of certain Croatian laws which regulate certain types of public goods are given. The question of demarcating public goods and their use also represents an important area in regulating public goods. Disputes related to public goods may arise due to the way they are used. This can be seen in the example of the question of whether a certain good can be classified as public. The government administration is certainly authorised to reach such decisions and the court can be given the authority to decide on certain disputes which arise related to the use and administration of public goods. In addition, the author deals with the issues of the authority over, keeping records of, and the protection of public goods
