Federal Register

Federal Register, 1936 to Present

Search Browse

Jump to: CFR Parts Affected │ Unified Agenda │ Searching │ Sample URLs │ Metadata Fields and Values │ Related Resources │ FAQs

About the Federal Register

What is the Federal Register?

Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.

When is it published?

The Federal Register is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

What is available?

• Volumes 60 (1995) to present:
  • Available for download as an entire issue (in PDF and XML formats) or as smaller sections (in PDF and text formats).
  • View the Table of Contents for the most recent issue or for previous issues by clicking the TOC button for specific issues in browse. Sign up for a free email subscription of the daily Table of Contents.
  • XML files can be downloaded in bulk as a zip file by the year (volume) or month in the Bulk Data Repository. Information on the legal status, authenticity, and schema of the Federal Register XML renditions can be found in the User Guide Document - Federal Register XML Rendition.
• Volumes 59 (1994) and older are digitized versions of historical issues of the Federal Register being made available as full issue PDF only. Note: Volume 59 (1994) has entire issues available in PDF format only, and smaller sections available in text format only. These digitized volumes include all issues and parts of the official printed edition. (See below for more information on searching the Digitized Federal Register.)
• Volume 59 (1994) issues are a special case. They originally existed in the system in text format only, but now also have PDF format available for the entire issue. Smaller sections are available only in text format.
• The Federal Register Index and List of CFR Sections Affected (LSA) are available on govinfo as separate publications. Learn more about the LSA.
• govinfo provides a tool to easily find CFR Parts Affected from the Federal Register. Learn more about this tool below.
• To find a more recent, unofficial issue of the Federal Register, view the Public Inspection issue online at www.federalregister.gov, a service of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Office of the Federal Register.
• You may be able to find new rules and regulations on an agency's website before it is published in the Federal Register, but this is not considered the official version and the effective date is generally based on when it is published in the Federal Register.
• GPO's Online Bookstore has the following available for purchase:
  • Individual issues in print and microfiche
  • Annual subscription in print and microfiche
  • Federal Register Index in print and microfiche

How is it organized?

Table of Contents and Preliminary Pages- This section of the Federal Register contains a comprehensive alphabetical listing by agency name of all documents in the issue. Under each agency, the documents are arranged by classification--Rules, Proposed Rules, or Notices. Each entry includes the page number where the document begins and a brief description of the document.

If Presidential Documents appear in the Federal Register they are listed in alphabetical order in the Contents under the heading "Presidential Documents". Appearing at the end of the Contents is a list of separate parts published in the issue, if applicable. The documents appearing in the separate part are also listed under the agency in the table of contents.

Also appearing in the preliminary pages (Contents Section) of each day's Federal Register is a list of the CFR Parts Affected in This Issue. Under each CFR title the parts affected by the rules and proposed rules in the issue are listed along with the page numbers where relevant documents begin.

The Reader Aids section of the Federal Register is designed to help the reader find specific information in the Federal Register system, as distinguished from the finding aids in the preliminary pages (Contents section) which are more oriented to one particular issue of the Federal Register.

Rules and Regulations Section- This section of the Federal Register contains final rules and regulations: regulatory documents having general applicability and legal effect. Most rules are keyed to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). A document which amends text must include the changes to the CFR and state the effective date for any change.

Each document begins with a heading that includes the name of the issuing agency (and subagency if appropriate), the CFR title and part(s) affected, and a brief description of the specific subject of the document. In some cases an agency includes a docket number, which identifies the document within the agency's internal filing system. A Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) may also be included.

This section also contains interim rules that are issued without prior notice and are effective immediately; the interim rule is designed to respond to an emergency situation and is usually followed by a final rule document which confirms that the interim rule is final, addresses comments received, and includes any further amendments. Additionally, this section includes documents that have no regulatory text and do not amend the CFR, but either affect the agency's handling of its regulations or are of continuing interest to the public in dealing with an agency. In this category are general policy statements and interpretations of agency regulations. These documents have the CFR headings (title and part), but do not contain any codified language.

The terms "rules" and "regulations" have the same meaning within the Federal Register publication system.

Proposed Rules Section- This section of the Federal Register contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

Many proposed rules are documents that suggest changes to agency regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and request public comment on those suggested changes. This section also contains documents relating to previously published proposed rules, extending the comment period, announcing a public hearing, making available supplemental information, withdrawing a proposed rule, or correcting a previously published proposed rule.

This section includes advanced notices of proposed rulemaking, which describe a problem or situation and the anticipated regulatory action of the agency and seek public response concerning the necessity for regulation and the adequacy of the agency's anticipated regulatory action. Additionally, many agencies voluntarily publish proposed changes to procedural rules, interpretative rules and agency policies to gather public comments.

Each document begins with a heading that includes the name of the issuing agency (and subagency if appropriate), the CFR title and part(s) affected, and a brief description of the specific subject of the document. In some cases an agency docket number, which identifies the document within the agency's internal filing system. A Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) may also be included. Instructions for filing comments and the date by which comments must be filed are provided.

The terms "rules" and "regulations" have the same meaning within the Federal Register publication system.

Notices Section- This section of the Federal Register contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, issuances or revocation of licenses, grant application deadlines, availability of environmental impact statements, filing of petitions and applications, and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section.

Presidential Documents Section- This section of the Federal Register contains documents signed by the President and submitted to the Office of the Federal Register for publication. Presidential documents include Proclamations and Executive Orders, as well as other documents such as determinations, letters, memorandums, and reorganization plans. The documents are compiled annually in title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Sunshine Act Meetings- This section of the Federal Register contains notices of meetings published under the "Government in the Sunshine Act" (Pub. L. 94-409) 5 U.S.C. 552b(e)(3).

In recognition of the public's right to the fullest possible information about the Federal decision-making process, the Government in the Sunshine Act requires that meetings of Government agencies be open to the public, with certain specified exceptions. The Act also requires that public announcement be made in the Federal Register of the time, place, and subject matter of the meeting, the name and telephone number of the agency official to contact for more information, and whether the meeting is open or closed to the public.

Reader Aids- This section of the Federal Register is designed to help the reader find specific information in the Federal Register system, as distinguished from the finding aids in the preliminary pages (Contents section) which are more oriented to one particular issue of the Federal Register.

• Information and Assistance. Appearing first is the listing of Office of the Federal Register telephone numbers to call for specific information.
• Federal Register Pages and Dates. This is a table of the inclusive page numbers and corresponding dates for the current month's Federal Register.
• CFR Parts Affected During the Current Month. This is a cumulative list of Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts affected by rules and proposed rules published in the Federal Register during the current month.

Corrections Section- This section of the Federal Register contains editorial corrections of previously published Presidential, Rule, Proposed Rule, and Notice documents. These corrections are prepared by the Office of the Federal Register to correct typographical or clerical errors made in the printing of the Federal Register. Agency prepared corrections are issued as signed documents and appear in the appropriate document categories elsewhere in the issue.

CFR Parts Affected from the Federal Register

The Federal Register contains rules and regulations which are regulatory documents having general applicability and legal effect. Most rules are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Browse CFR Parts Affected from the Federal Register to find final and proposed rules that affect the CFR and have been published in the Federal Register within the past 24 hours, week, month, or within a specific date range.

CFR Parts Affected is also contained in the Reader Aids section of each Federal Register issue.

Unified Agenda

The Unified Agenda, as published in the Federal Register, is available on a separate page on govinfo. The complete Unified Agenda is available to the public at Reginfo.gov.

The Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Unified Agenda) provides uniform reporting on the actions administrative agencies plan to issue in the near and long term. Executive Order 12866 "Regulatory Planning and Review," signed September 30, 1993 (58 FR 51735), and Office of Management and Budget memoranda implementing section 4 of that Order establish minimum standards for agencies' agendas, including specific types of information for each entry. Each edition of the Unified Agenda includes regulatory agendas from Federal entities that currently have regulations under development or review. Agencies of the United States Congress are not included. Fall editions of the Unified Agenda include The Regulatory Plan, which presents agency statements of regulatory priorities and additional information about the most significant regulatory activities planned for the coming year.

All editions of the Unified Agenda through the spring 2007 edition were published in their entirety in the Federal Register. Beginning with the fall 2007 edition, the Agenda published in the Federal Register is limited, in general, to agency regulatory flexibility agendas and The Regulatory Plan. Agency regulatory flexibility agendas, which are required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (PDF) to be published in the Federal Register, include only those rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities and entries that have been selected for periodic review under section 610 (PDF) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

The Unified Agenda is compiled by the Regulatory Information Service Center, a component of the U.S. General Services Administration, in cooperation with the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Applicable agendas are then published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in the Federal Register. The Regulatory Information Service Center assigns a Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) to identify each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda.

Searching The Federal Register

Please note the differences in searching and browsing the more recent volumes (Volume 60 to present) versus the older, digitized volumes (Volume 59 and older). Also, Volume 59 (1994) has entire issues available in PDF format only, and smaller sections available in text format only.

Searching the More Recent Volumes (Volume 60 to present)

Search options are available by clicking the orange SEARCH button in the top right of any page across the site.

Basic Search – Use keywords, search operators, and metadata fields in the single search box.

• Search over just the Federal Register by adding collection:fr to your Basic Search query.
• Combine fields for targeted searches. For example, use Basic Search to find final rules issued in the Federal Register by the Social Security Administration since 2015.

Advanced Search – Click here to select a date or date range, collection, and up to 5 fields to search in.

• Select Federal Register under Refine by Collection first! Then, fields custom to the Federal Register will populate automatically in the box under Search In.
• Combine fields for targeted searches. For example, use Advanced Search to find final rules issued in the Federal Register by the Social Security Administration since 2015.

Citation Search – Click here to retrieve a single FR document in PDF format if you know the Year (Volume) and Page Number of the document.

Browse – Click here to browse FR issues by year, month, and day.

Link Service – Click here to easily construct links to an FR document if you know the FR Doc Number or volume and page numbers.

Find an entire issue of the FR

• Issues are published daily and can be found by browsing issues by date (year, month, then day).
• For 1994 forward, when using Basic or Advanced Search, only the smaller sections are listed in search results. To find the entire issue, click Details next to any FR search result, click the Document in Context tab, then see options next to View Entire Issue.
• When using the Browse by Date feature, only entire issues of the FR are listed in search results.

Find one or more specific sections within an issue of the FR

Sections within each issue of the Federal Register are organized by the issuing agency and categorized as Notices, Rules, Proposed Rules, or other types of documents.

Find popular types of documents published in the Federal Register

Searching the Digitized Volumes (Volume 59 and earlier)

The historic digitized issues (Volume 59 and earlier) are being added to the current Federal Register collection. There are several differences between how you can access the digitized issues and how you can access the more recent issues:

• Digitized Federal Register issues are available for full-text searching. Some metadata fields can be used to craft specific searches using the basic or advanced search. Searchable metadata fields for the digitized issues (Volume 59 and earlier) are: Full-Text, Branch, Category, Dates, Government Author, Issue, SuDoc Class Number, Title, and Volume. Additional fields are available for searching the more recent volumes.
• Digitized Federal Register issues (Volume 59 and earlier) are available to browse and download at the issue level while the more recent issues are available at the article level.
• Digitized Federal Register issues (Volume 59 and earlier) are searchable using the citation search feature.

Sample Federal Register URLs

Govinfo uses three key pieces of information to construct predictable URLs to documents and Details pages:

• Granule ID for the Federal Register is used to identify the specific document within an issue of the publication
• Package ID is used to identify an individual issue of the publication.
• Publication Date is used to identify the date an issue of the Federal Register.

Details Page for a Specific Document
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/{Package ID}/{Granule ID}
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2009-09-09/E9-20836

PDF File for a Specific Document
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/pdf/{Granule ID}.pdf
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2009-09-09/pdf/E9-20836.pdf

HTML File for a Specific Document
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/html/{Granule ID}.htm
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2009-09-09/html/E9-20836.htm

Details Page for an Entire Issue
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/{Package ID}
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2009-09-09

PDF File for an Entire Issue
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/pdf/{Package ID}.pdf
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2009-09-09/pdf/FR-2009-09-09.pdf

XML File for an Entire Issue
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/xml/{Package ID}.xml
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2009-09-09/xml/FR-2009-09-09.xml

Today's Federal Register Table of Contents
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/frtoc/today

Federal Register Table of Contents for a Specific Date
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/frtoc/{Publication Date}
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/frtoc/2009-09-09

Federal Register Metadata Fields and Values

Metadata fields and values can be used to increase the relevancy of your searches. The metadata fields available for the Federal Register are listed in the table below. Metadata fields and values are used throughout govinfo for:

• Refining Your Search,
• Browsing,
• Field Operators,
• Advanced Search, and
• Display on Details Pages.

Metadata fields and values can be entered into the Basic Search box using field operators. The field operators available for the Federal Register are listed in the table below, along with examples for each metadata field. Using Field Operators

Some of these metadata fields are made available for use in Advanced Search. Using Advanced Search

Federal Register Related Resources

• Table of Contents electronic mailing list - Sign up to receive the daily Table of Contents by email.
• Unified Agenda - Describes regulatory actions agencies are developing or have recently completed
• A Guide to the Rulemaking Process (PDF) - Prepared by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
• FederalRegister.gov - Unofficial, HTML (XML-based) edition of the daily Federal Register provided by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
• Regulations.gov - Find, review, and submit comments on Federal rules that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register. Managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eRulemaking Program Management Office
• Reginfo.gov - Provides reliable, transparent information about regulations under development
• Contact your local Federal Depository Library - Including issues prior to 1996 using the Federal Depository Library Directory
• Purchase individual issues or a subscription - From GPO's Online Bookstore
• Issues of the Federal Register in bulk XML - From GPO's bulk data repository
• Executive Order 13563 Retrospective Review documents - In accordance with Executive Order 13563, "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review," Federal agencies and departments periodically review existing regulations that may be outmoded, ineffective, insufficient, or excessively burdensome and to modify, streamline, expand, or repeal them in accordance with what has been learned.

Federal Register Frequently Asked Questions

How can I subscribe to the electronic Federal Register or the daily Table of Contents?
Sign up for a free email subscription to the daily Federal Register Table of Contents. The Federal Register is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Purchase a subscription to the Federal Register in electronic format via FTP from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

Can the information in the online Federal Register be used in court?
The online edition of the Federal Register on this site is issued under the authority of the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register as the official legal equivalent of the paper and microfiche editions (44USC4101 and 1CFR5.10). It is updated by 6 a.m. each day the Federal Register is published and includes the text and graphics from Volume 59 (January 2, 1994) forward.