LibGuides: Federal Administrative Regulations: Sources for Regulations

About This Guide

This is an overview of federal administrative regulations — rules promulgated by federal executive branch agencies under authority delegated by Congress. This guide covers: where regulations are published; how to find them; how to update them. For advice about any aspect of administrative or regulatory research, ask a research librarian.

[For California Regulations, see the Zief Law Library's California Administrative Regulations guide.]

Overview: Federal Register & Code of Federal Regulations

These are some good free sources for the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register. See the boxes below for more sources for the CFR and the Federal Register.

Federal regulations that are currently in force appear in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Code of Federal Regulations - GovInfo
In-force federal rules and regulations. Based on the current print version. The Code of CFR annual edition is published on a staggered basis. For searching, use the GovInfo Advanced Search feature. To update, use: List of CFR Sections Affected. (From the Government Publishing Office; covers 1996 to the present.)

The Federal Register is published every business day and includes proposed rules, new final rules, and other administrative agency notices.

FederalRegister.gov
Unofficial but very user-friendly version of the Federal Register. produced by the National Archives. Features include: flexible "Search" function; filtering and browsing by topic, agency, date, type of notice or regulation. Links to official PDF versions of regulations. Also includes an online index. Searchable from1994 to the present, older documents can be retrieved using a FR citation.
Federal Register - GovInfo
Daily publication of new and proposed federal regulations, presidential executive orders, and important notices from federal agencies. To find regulations, browse, or use the GovInfo Advanced Search feature. (From the Government Publishing Office; Complete digital collection, covering vol. 1 (1936) to the present.)

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): In-Force Regulations

Federal regulations that are currently in force are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These are the major free and non-free options for the CFR. The final item on the list is the print version of the CFR, which is still available at the Zief Law Library.

Code of Federal Regulations - GovInfo
In-force federal rules and regulations. Based on the current print version. The Code of CFR annual edition is published on a staggered basis. For searching, use the GovInfo Advanced Search feature. To update, use: List of CFR Sections Affected. (From the Government Publishing Office; covers 1996 to the present.)
eCFR - Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (unofficial)
The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) is a continuously updated online version of the CFR. It is not an official legal edition of the CFR. It is the product of the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Printing Office.)
Legal Information Institute - Code of Federal Regulations
A browsable version of the CFR.

Code of Federal Regulations - HeinOnline (1938 - current) This link opens in a new window
The codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. [A free CFR is available from govinfo.gov.]

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) - Westlaw
Current version of the CFR. Includes "Notes of Decisions" and KeyCite "citing references" for cases interpreting regulations. [For authorized Westlaw subscribers.]
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations - Lexis Advance
Current version of the CFR. Includes "Case Notes" for cases interpreting regulations. Cases citing regulations can also be found by Shepardizing a CFR section. [For authorized Lexis subscribers.]
Code of Federal Regulations - Historical - Westlaw
Access to older versions of the CFR, starting with the 1984 version. [For authorized Westlaw subscribers.]
Code of Federal Regulations - Current Print Version
Current and previous year's version of the CFR in print, at the Zief Law Library. Call number: KF 70 .A3 Law Stacks.

Federal Register (Fed. Reg.): New Rules, Proposed Rules, Notices...

The Federal Register, which is published every business day, includes proposed rules, new final rules, and other administrative agency notices.

Practitioners follow the Federal Register to stay on top of new or changed regulations. And because proposed and final rules are accompanied by background information, the Federal Register is useful for researching the purpose of regulations.

These are the major free and non-free options for the Federal Register. The final item on the list is the print version of the Federal Register, which is still available (for the most recent 5-6 months or so) at the Zief Law Library.

FederalRegister.gov
Unofficial but very user-friendly version of the Federal Register. produced by the National Archives. Features include: flexible "Search" function; filtering and browsing by topic, agency, date, type of notice or regulation. Links to official PDF versions of regulations. Also includes an online index. Searchable from1994 to the present, older documents can be retrieved using a FR citation.
Federal Register - GovInfo
Daily publication of new and proposed federal regulations, presidential executive orders, and important notices from federal agencies. To find regulations, browse, or use the GovInfo Advanced Search feature. (From the Government Publishing Office; Complete digital collection, covering vol. 1 (1936) to the present.)

Federal Register Library - HeinOnline (1936 - current) This link opens in a new window
The official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. HeinOnline adds the U.S. Gov’t Manual and the Daily and Weekly Compilations of Presidental Documents. [A free Federal Register is available from govinfo.gov.]

Federal Register - Westlaw
Fully searchable text of the Federal Register from January 1981 to the present. Partial searchable PDFs of the Federal Register from March 1936 to 1980. [For authorized Westlaw subscribers.]
FR - Federal Register Current Year - Lexis Advance
Fully searchable version of the Federal Register for the current year. [For authorized Lexis subscribers.]
Federal Register, All - Lexis Advance
Fully searchable version of the Federal Register from March 14, 1936 through the current year. Coverage begins with 1 Fed. Reg. 1. [For authorized Lexis subscribers.]
Federal Register - Recent Issues - Print Version
The most recent 5 to 6 months or so of the Federal Register in print, at the Zief Law Library. Call number: KF 70 .A2 Law Stacks.

Proposed Rules via Regulations.gov

Regulations.gov is optimized for researchers who want to see proposed rules, comment on proposals, and view background documentation on proposed rules. So, even though the Federal Register also includes proposed rules, consider starting at Regulations.gov for any project where proposed rules play a major role.

Regulations.gov
A product of the General Services Administration's Proposed regulations, it is available for review and comment. (It also includes regulatory agendas, final rules, and comments texts.) Researchers can use the Docket Subscription service to receive email notifications when documents have been added, modified, or withdrawn from a docket.