Legal Studies Research : Find Regulations

Regulations are written by executive departments and agencies, often, with authorization from Congress or a state legislature.  Many Presidential publications, including Executive Orders, Proclamations, and Administrative Orders are published in the Federal Register and later compiled in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations.  Most states also publish Registers and Codes.

For more information about the regulatory process, visit the tutorial The Federal Register: What it Is and How to Use It, provided courtesy of the National Archives of the United States. A section of this tutorial also covers the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

As you look through regulatory materials, you'll notice that the words "regulations, "rules," and "rule-making" appear with some frequency. The terms "rules" and "regulations" are often used interchangeably.

NOTE: Be aware that laws, regulations, and many other legal documents change frequently. It's critical to use updating services to be sure that you're looking at the most recent version of a regulation or law. Updating tools are noted below.

There are a number of sources for tracking federal rules and regulations. The Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations are official government publications which may be cited in legal documents, etc. Regulations.gov and the eCFR are produced by the government, but are not considered official legal editions of the Federal Register and Code. Similarly, most copies of the Federal Register and Code provided through secondary sources like Westlaw or Lexis are not official editions.

The Federal Register is a publication of the Executive Branch of government. It includes a variety of materials from federal departments and agencies like notices, grant availability, and both proposed and final rules and regulations. Presidential documents are also included. The Register is published weekdays, Monday through Friday. The illustration below shows a recent issue of the Register with rules, proposed rules, and notices highlighted.

The Register is available on Govinfo.gov, the Government Publishing Office's secure repository for authenticated government publications (see illustrations below). The National Archives and Records Services also archives the Register.

The Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations are the official versions of rules and regulations. Many other sources provide this information, often in more accessible formats. The unofficial codes are fine for research purposes but not recommended for use in legal proceedings and documents.

Regulations.gov is an unofficial, public facing site designed to help citizens participate in the regulatory process by submitting comments and concerns in response to proposed rule-making. Forty-six federal agencies are official participants. If the agency of interest to you doesn't accept comments through this site, you'll need to consult the Federal Register for contact details.

The homepage of Regulations.gov features current and trending regulatory issues. Filters allow users to sort issues by comment due date, type of docket, date of initial posting, etc.

Here is the official description of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) taken from the Government Publishing Office web site.  

The Code of Federal Regulations is a codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The Code is divided into 50 titles which represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each title is divided into chapters which usually bear the name of the issuing agency. Each chapter is further subdivided into parts covering specific regulatory areas. Each volume of the Code is revised at least once each calendar year and issued on a quarterly basis approximately as follows:

Title 1 through Title 16..............................................................as of January 1

Title 17 through Title 27 .................................................................as of April 1 

Title 28 through Title 41 ..................................................................as of July 1

Title 42 through Title 50.............................................................as of October 1 

Title 3 of the Code contains Presidential communications including Executive Orders and Proclamations.

This excerpt from TItle 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) covers transportation, specifically the requirements for vehicles to provide boarding devices for riders with disabilities.

The eCFR from the National Archives is a more searcher-friendly version of the Code of Federal Regulations. However, as noted elsewhere, it is not the official version of the Code.

Use the List of Sections Affected and current issues of the Federal Register to ensure that you're using the most up-to-date versions of regulations.

The NU Law Library provides a print copy of the Regulations.  Law Stacks  KFM2435 1986 .A43  The Law Library also has historical microfiche compilations of the CMR.

There is no one central source for all municipal codes. Four services provide codes for a number of municipalities and you may need to check all four to find the code of interest.

Also, you may search individual city websites; some will provide links to ordinances and codes.

Consider searching our Policy Commons (Opens in new window) database which contains the North American Cities module. Some municipal regulatory materials may be provided as part of this service.

These publishers provide access to a number of municipals codes. Each website has both free and subscription sections, but you'll be able to view a number of codes free of charge.

Please e-mail Roxanne Palmatier, Legal Studies Librarian.