In the United States, administrative law is often associated with independent government agencies like the FTC or Federal Trade Commission. The head offices of FTC are in Washington D.C.

The legal system in the United States operates in a way wherein several government agencies are considered to be under the executive government branch, and not under the legislative branch or judicial branch. For instance, the Federal Executive Departments in the United States are controlled by the executive branch of government as well as the sub-units therein.

These departments are also known as the government executive agencies. These agencies are differentiated from the various powerful agencies of the U.S. government, which have been independently created by the congress of the U.S.A. The Article I and Article II tribunals were also created by Congress, so as to take care of areas concerning administrative law.

The primary focus of the American administrative law rests on the actions provided by the executive agencies of government as well as the independent government agencies in the country. The enactment of the Administrative Procedure Act in 1946 or the APA was done in response to the fast and continuous creation of new independent agencies in the U.S, especially in the early years of the 20th century. The APA was also created to ensure the administration of fair law procedures, which is in compliance with the United States Constitution requirements.