In Italy the industrial districts are recognized by Law 317 of October 5, 1991 and in Article 36, the State delegates the Regions with the responsibility of identifying and localizing the districts. This law was consequently rectified by Decree of the Ministry of Industry, April 21, 1993, with Law N. 266 of August 7, 1997 and Law N. 140/99 Art. 6, subsection 8 and 9. In particular, it is this last section that assigns to the individual Regions the task of identifying local productive systems and, consequently, the Industrial Districts.

Already since November of 1993, the Region of Lombardy identified 21 districts, however, in March 2001 the territorial configuration was revised, with the identification of 16 districts and 5 meta-districts.

In May 1994, Friuli-Venezia Giulia identified 4 districts, while in March 2000 a territorial redefinition took place.

In February 1995 the Region of Liguria identified the single Districts and 16 Regional "Local Work Systems".

In 1995 the Tuscan Region approved the map of the 7 recognized Districts.

The Marches Region created a first map of March 1995 recognizing 9 Industrial Districts. In July 29, 1999 it also identified 26 "areas with district value".

The Region of Piemonte identified 30 "Local Work Systems" which in 1994 were assembled into 14 Districts; 25 were consequently recognized in 1996.

In 1996, the Region of Abruzzo identified 4 Industrial Districts.

In 1997 the Regional Council of Campania presented a mapping proposal with 7 districts, approved by the Council after two years (November 1999).

In August 1997, the Sardinian Region identified 4 Industrial Districts by decree.

In 1998 the Council of the Veneto Region presented the proposal for identification of 17 Venetian Districts.

The Region of Basilicata, in 2001, recognized 4 Districts and 8 Local Productive Systems.

In 2001 the Latium Region issued a map of the 3 Industrial Districts and of the Local Productive Systems.

The Apulian Region arranged for a government bill, still not approved by 2002, in which 6 Industrial Districts were identified, although not yet officially recognized.