A concurrent power is a type of authority or power shared by both the federal government and each constituent political unit, such as a state or province, in a federal system. These powers may be exercised simultaneously within the same territory, over the same citizens, and on the same subjects. Examples of concurrent powers include the power to tax, to borrow money, to establish lower courts, to define crimes and set punishments, and to claim private property for public use (eminent domain).
Concurrent powers differ from reserved powers, which belong exclusively to the states, and from exclusive federal powers, which belong only to the federal government. Although both levels of government can exercise concurrent powers independently, federal law generally has supremacy in case of conflict. This shared authority requires coordination between the different levels of government.