Evaluation of mutagenic activity--an indispensable element of the toxicological characteristics of chemicals in their hygienic regulation. In the article there is performed an analysis of the adopted in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and in Russia guidance documents on methods of assessment of the mutagenic properties of chemicals. In the OECD there are 17 manuals, each of which describes a single method, in Russia there were approved five guidance documents for specific groups of chemicals (drugs, pesticides, nanomaterials, substances normalized in the water and the air), which represent the basic and auxiliary methods of testing mutagens. Basic methods aimed to the evaluation of gene, chromosomal and genomic mutations include: assessment of gene mutations in bacteria, methods for estimating mutations in cell cultures of human and mammals in vitro, methods for inspecting mutations in somatic and germ cells of mammals in vivo. Analysis of Russian documents shows that the protocols of basic tests of assessment of the mutagenic activity are close to the protocols of the OECD. It is necessary to publish guidance documents on tests of assessment of the mutagenic activity of chemicals harmonized with the OECD documents.