Contents: What are Regulations? | Legal Citations | Guides | Where to Find Regulations | Indexes | Search Hints | Common Abbreviations in the Federal Register | For More Information

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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. The Regulations.gov website provides timely information on proposed rules and the ability to post comments.

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: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Congressional) [restricted to UD]
Location: Internet (http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS1756 or http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html) (GPO Access)
Location: Library Databases (via Community of Science) [restricted to UD]
Location: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Academic; select Legal Research, Federal Regulations) [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. In LexisNexis Congressional, select the Regulations section, which has the F.R. from 1981 to present.

Code of Federal Regulations. (C.F.R.).
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .I51) Latest revision only
Location: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Congressional; select Regulations) [restricted to UD]
Location: Library Databases (via LexisNexis Academic; select Legal Research, Federal Regulations) [restricted to UD]
Location: Internet (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html) (GPO Access)

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 C.F.R. Sections Affected. (L.S.A.).
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .I52)
Location: Internet (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/lsa/about.html) (GPO Access)

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 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 the LSA" and "Retrieve a Federal Register Page."

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.

CIS Federal Register Index. Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service. 1984-1998.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .A22)

Indexing is by subject and more thorough than the index produced by National Archives. Ceased in 1998, but still excellent for the time period it covers and useful for vocabulary suggestions and agency names.

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)

CIS Index to the Code of Federal Regulations. Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF70 .I5315)

Indexing is by subject and more thorough than the index produced by National Archives. Library has 2001 edition. Dated, but still useful for vocabulary suggestions and agency names.

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 beta test 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?
Search the Unified Agenda on the GPO Access Web or Documents on Public Inspection on the Archives Web to find brief information on upcoming rules and proposed rules.

How to comment on proposed rules?
Go to the Regulations.gov website.

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

Finding the Law: A Workbook on Legal Research for Laypersons. Denver, CO: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 1982.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF240 .C525)
Location: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc I 53.2: L 41)

A bit dated, but still one of the best resources for explaining laws (print editions).

Robinson, Judith Schiek. Tapping the Government Grapevine; the User-Friendly Guide to U. S. Government Information Sources. 3rd ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1999.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref J83 .R62 1998) Reference Desk

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

Regulations.gov.
Location: Internet (http://www.regulations.gov/ and http://regulations.gov)

Provides a convenient way to find and post comments on proposed regulations.

A Research Guide to the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations. (Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C., Inc.).
Location: Internet (http://www.llsdc.net/sourcebook/fed-reg-cfr.htm)
Location: Internet (http://www.llsdc.net/sourcebook/docs/fed-reg-cfr.pdf)

Federal Administrative Decisions & Other Actions.
Location: Internet (http://www.lib.virginia.edu/govdocs/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.

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