Introduction to U.S Regulations
The executive branch of government and its agencies create administrative law known as regulations or rules on both the federal and state levels. Similar to legislative statutes, regulations are published chronologically and then codified according to subject matter.
New and proposed federal administrative regulations are published daily in chronological order in the Federal Register and are later codified by subject in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR is divided into titles according broad subject areas.
Code of Federal Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The 50 subject matter titles contain one or more individual volumes, which (in the print version) are updated once each calendar year, on a staggered basis. The annual update cycle is as follows: titles 1-16 are revised as of January 1; titles 17-27 are revised as of April 1; titles 28-41 are revised as of July 1, and titles 42-50 are revised as of October 1. Each title is divided into chapters, parts (possibly sub-parts), and sections. Most citations to the CFR refer to the title and the section (e.g 25 CFR § 720.103 means Title 24, section 720.103).
Use the following resources to access the Code of Federal Regulations:
- U.S. Government Publishing Office - Annual Edition (free)Contains the official pdf version of the CFR from 1996 to present. To search the full text of the CFR, click on 'Search Government Publications' on the left side > select 'Advanced Search' > add the Code of Federal Regulations to the 'Selected Collections' box > type in your search term.
- U.S. Government Publishing Office - e-CFR (free)Contains the a current, daily updated version of the CFR. The e-CFR is an unofficial editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments.
- Code of Federal RegulationsThe [US] Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules/ regulations (sometimes called administrative law). The executive departments and agencies of the US Federal Government publish in the Federal Register. The Office of the Federal Register is an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration.
- Lexis Advance US Research (International)Lexis is an online legal research tool which offers US federal public laws and the US Code Service, as well as US state codes, federal and state registers and state constitutions; over 900 full-text US legal journals and law reviews; and the Shepard's Citator service. The database also contains material from over 150 countries.
- Westlaw (Thomson Reuters)Westlaw (previously known as Westlaw International and Westlaw Next), contains an extensive collection of U.S. state and federal materials, and selected international content from other jurisdictions including Canada, European Union, Hong Kong, Korea, United Kingdom, and more.
- FindLaw (free)Search by keyword or citation.
Federal register
The Federal Register is the official daily publication of the US federal government for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. Use the following resources to access the Federal Register:
- U.S. Government Publishing Office - Federal Register (free)Documents are available in Summary, PDF (official print version since 1994), ASCII text, or HTML format. HTML documents are available from 2000 forward and provide hypertext links to Web sites mentioned in the document.
- Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government (free)This is a government site that allows searches by date or topic. It contains the unofficial, web version of the Federal Register.
- Federal Register LibraryHeinOnline's Federal Register Library contains the Federal Register from its inception in 1936.
- Westlaw (Thomson Reuters)Westlaw (previously known as Westlaw International and Westlaw Next), contains an extensive collection of U.S. state and federal materials, and selected international content from other jurisdictions including Canada, European Union, Hong Kong, Korea, United Kingdom, and more.
- Lexis Advance US Research (International)Lexis is an online legal research tool which offers US federal public laws and the US Code Service, as well as US state codes, federal and state registers and state constitutions; over 900 full-text US legal journals and law reviews; and the Shepard's Citator service. The database also contains material from over 150 countries.
State Regulations
State regulations are often freely available from each state legislature's website. Below are resources which contains state administrative materials or links directly to each state's legislative website.
Consult the section T1 of Bluebook: A Uniform Book of Legal Citation to the names of each state's administrative law titles, which are usually known as codes and registers. Section T1 also indicates which administrative law titles, if any, have been designated as official.
- Legal Information Institute (free)Contains a list of states. Click on a state for information about that state's legal materials, including links to state regulations.
- Westlaw (Thomson Reuters)Westlaw (previously known as Westlaw International and Westlaw Next), contains an extensive collection of U.S. state and federal materials, and selected international content from other jurisdictions including Canada, European Union, Hong Kong, Korea, United Kingdom, and more.
- Lexis Advance US Research (International)Lexis is an online legal research tool which offers US federal public laws and the US Code Service, as well as US state codes, federal and state registers and state constitutions; over 900 full-text US legal journals and law reviews; and the Shepard's Citator service. The database also contains material from over 150 countries.
Free State Regulation Resources
- Legal Information InstituteContains a list of states. Click on a state for information about that state's legal materials, including links to state regulations.
- FindLawUnder 'State Resources', choose a state to access links to that state's administrative legal materials.
Free Federal Regulations Resources
- U.S. Government Publishing OfficeContains a wealth of important information including eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations), Federal Register, and other administrative materials. This is the official U.S. Government publisher so it should be used when an authentic version is sought.
- Regulations.govSource for information on Federal regulations and the development of regulations and other related documents issued by the U.S. government. Through this site, you can find, read, and comment on proposed regulations.
- Legal Information InstituteThis site has a collection of Federal regulations and adminstrative materials and links to state resources.