The article is devoted to the scientific and theoretical analysis of the current state of legal provision of drinking water quality in rural areas. It was stated that in recent years there has been a steady trend of deteriorating quality of water used for drinking in rural areas, including due to increasing levels of nitrate pollution. Proposals have been made for: further implementation of Council Directive 98/83 / EU on the quality of water intended for human consumption and Council Directive 91/676/ EEC on the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources in national legislation; elimination of substantive inconsistencies between State sanitary norms and rules 2.2.4-171-10 "Hygienic requirements for drinking water intended for human consumption" and National Standards of Ukraine 7525: 2014 "Drinking water. Requirements and methods of quality control "in terms of drinking water quality indicators; inclusion in the subjects of state water monitoring of the central executive body that implements the state policy in the field of health care (regarding the monitoring of drinking water); development of the Procedure for state monitoring of nitrate content in surface and groundwater as a component of state water monitoring; forecasting at the level of the National Target Program "Drinking Water of Ukraine" for 2021-2025 "development and operation of a single state information resource - Interactive map of drinking water quality in Ukraine.