Regulations

What are Regulations?

There are three types of law which prevail at the federal, state, and local levels of government in the United States: Statutory Law, Case (or Judicial Law) , and Regulations (or Administrative Law). Regulations are written by executive agencies to establish the rules and detailed procedures needed to administer the statutory laws passed by Congress and signed by the President. All of these terms are used to describe regulations: rule, administrative law, delegated legislation, and sublegislation. The federal government publishes all regulations in the Federal Register, along with proposed rules, notices, and other materials. The regulations are collected, rearranged by subject, and published in the Code of Federal Regulations.

Regulations.gov for citizen input on Federal Rulemaking
RefInfo for detailed information on the Regulatory process

Legal Citations

A citation to the Federal Register uses the volume number, the abbreviation "F.R." or "Fed. Reg.", the page number where the text begins, and the full date in parentheses.

70 F.R. 20477 (April 20, 2005)
70 [voume number] F.R. [Federal Register] 20,477 [page number] (April 20, 2005) [date]

A citation to the Code of Federal Regulations uses the title number, the abbreviation "C.F.R.", the part and/or section number, and the year of the latest revision of the title, in parentheses.

40 C.F.R. 180.434 (2005)
40 [title number] C.F.R. [Code of Federal Regulations] 180.434 [part 180, section 434] (2005) [revision date]

Guides

The Federal Register: What It Is and How to Use It. Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register. Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .A34 F43) Location: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/tutorial/index.html)

Federal Regulatory Directory. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref JK671 .F4) Latest at Reference Desk Location: Morris Library (JK671 .F4) Earlier eds.: Provides an overview of the regulatory process and current trends in regulation. It describes the federal agencies involved in regulation, the agency's history, authority, organization, and information sources. Useful appendices include a reprinting of some major acts, such as the Freedom of Information Act, and a description of how to use the two major sources of government regulations: the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations.

Office of the Federal Register (OFR). Location: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/index.html)

Where to Find Regulations

Federal Register. (F.R.). Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .A2) Latest 2 yrs. Location: Internet (via FDsys http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/) Search Location: Internet (via GPO FDsys http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR) Browse by date and issue (1994-) Location: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Congressional) [restricted to UD] 1981- Location: Library Databases (via Community of Science) [restricted to UD] Location: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Academic; select Legal, Federal or State codes) [restricted to UD] Location: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm S 78) v.1(1936)-v.67(2002): A legal newspaper published every business day. Contains all federal agency regulations (final rules). Also contains notices, proposed rules, presidential proclamations, executive orders, and public laws. Rules and proposed rules include citations to the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.). Arrangement is alphabetically by agency. Monthly and annual indexes (Ref KF70 .A21) are arranged by agency with some general subject references. Published since 1936. The Federal Register is available in several online versions. Dates of coverage and searching capabilities differ.

Code of Federal Regulations. (C.F.R.). Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .I51) Latest revision only Location: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Congressional) [restricted to UD] Location: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Academic; select Legal, Federal or State codes) [restricted to UD] Location: Internet (via GPO Access http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html): The print edition from the Government Printing Office is the official edition of the Code of the Federal Regulations. The CFR is the subject arrangement (codification) of the general and permanent regulations of federal agencies. The regulations are arranged (codified) into 50 subject areas, called "titles." Indexing is by agency with some subject references. The C.F.R. is revised once a year, in a quarterly publication cycle. This Library retains only the most current revision, except for title 3 (The President) which is retained permanently. The C.F.R. is available in several online versions. Dates of coverage and searching capabilities differ. Note: "title" refers to a subject section of the code.

LSA: List of CFR Sections Affected. (L.S.A.). Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .I52) Location: Internet (via FDsys http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/) Search Location: Internet (via GPO FDsys http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=LSA) Browse by month and CFR Section: Numerical listing of changes keyed to C.F.R. parts/sections. Bridges the gap between new rules and the C.F.R. Arrangement is by date, then C.F.R. titles and section numbers; cannot be searched by subject. The LSA is necessary if using the print copies of the F.R. and C.F.R. The LSA online edition includes: About List of CFR Sections Affected.

e-Rulemaking websites. Location: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-participation/rulemaking-sites.html): Links to agency websites.

Indexes

Federal Register Index. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Federal Register; U.S. G.P.O. Monthly. Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .A21) 1962 to present Location: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/the-federal-register/annual-indexes.html) 1994 to present (Office of the Federal Register) Location: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm S 78) v.1(1936)-v.67(2002): The Index is arranged alphabetically by agency with some general subject references. Each monthly index is cumulative and there is an annual cumulative index. The Library has 1962-1982, 1984-1987, 1989-1994, 1996 to present. The index is also available at the beginning of each reel of the microfilm edition. (Exception: there are no annual indexes for 1953-1955.) The Office of the Federal Register Web has online searchable annual indexes for 1994 to present. Like the print versions, the online versions are arranged by agency.

C.F.R. Index and Finding Aids. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration; U.S. G.P.O. Annual. Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .A33)

Search Hints

How to find the most up-to-date version of a regulation?

Find the regulation in the C.F.R., then search the F.R. and LSA. Or, use the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR), a version of the C.F.R. which is updated more frequently.

How to find regulations for a particular law?

Use the "Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules" in the C.F.R. -- arranged by USC (United States Code) reference. The L.S.A. contains a U.S.C. table.

How to get a preview of rules or proposed rules before they are published?

Unified Agenda on RegInfo
Unified Agenda on the GPO Access Web
Documents on Public Inspection on the National Archives Web

How to comment on proposed rules?

Go to the Regulations.gov Web.

Common Abbreviations in the Federal Register

N	Notice
NPRM	Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
NOFA	Notice of Funding Availability
PR	Proposed Rule
Pres	Presidential Document
R	Rule (Final Rule)

For More Information

Sears, Jean L. and Marilyn K. Moody. Using Government Information Sources: Electronic and Print. 3rd ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 2001. Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1223 .Z7 S4 2001) Reference Desk

Legislative Source Book. (Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.). Location: Internet (http://www.llsdc.org/sourcebook/)

Federal Administrative Decisions & Other Actions. Location: Internet (http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/govtinfo/fed_decisions_agency.html ): Provides links to regulations and decisions of Executive Branch and independent agencies which fall outside the scope of the F.R. and C.F.R. Many of the links are to agency FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) sites.

This page is maintained by Rebecca Knight, Reference Department.

Version: 10/2009
Last modified: 10/16/09

Regulations:

A Research Guide