QUICK GUIDE:  HOW TO FIND FEDERAL REGULATIONS

1.  Where Regulations are Published

A. Federal Register


The Federal Register is published daily. The Register is the first place proposed and final regulations appear. Final regulations, after being published in the Federal Register, are later codified into the Code of Federal Regulations, which is described in part B.

A Federal Register citation is broken down as follows:
68 Fed. Reg. 38427 (2003)
68 = Volume
Fed. Reg. = Bluebook abbreviation for the Federal Register
38427 = Page number
(2003) = Year

The Federal Register is available online, in print, and in microform:

1. Online:

• July 1980 to date: LEXIS: genfed; fedreg
• July 1980 to date: WESTLAW: FR
• 1980 to date: LexisNexis Congressional
• 1936 - (PDF) HeinOnline
• Recent regulations are often available on the web sites of the agencies that issue them. See the FirstGov Index for a list of government agencies, with links to their web sites.
• 1994 to date (PDF): GPO Access. GPO Access can be searched by citation, date, or keyword.
  

2. In Print:

• Current month: Reserve
• 1985 to date:  LL1
• 1940 - 1984: Not available for use.  (Use HeinOnline)  

3. In Microform:

• 1936 - 1970: Film #96, LL1
• 1971 to date: Fiche #96, LL1

B. Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.)

Final regulations are first published in the Federal Register and then codified in the C.F.R. The C.F.R. is divided into 50 titles, each title representing a different subject area. Each title is then divided into chapters, parts and sections. The C.F.R. is revised once a year.

A C.F.R. citation is broken down as follows:
40 C.F.R. 62.01 (2002)
40 = Title of the C.F.R.
C.F.R. = Bluebook abbreviation for the Code of Federal Regulations
62.01 = Section number
(2002) = Edition of the C.F.R.


The C.F.R. is available online, in print, and in microform:

1. Online:

• Current edition: LEXIS: genfed; cfr WESTLAW: cfr
• Archive (1981-): LEXIS: allcfr
• Archive (1984-): Westlaw: cfr
• Current edition & archive (1996-) (PDF): GPO Access. GPO Access can be searched by citation, title or keyword.
• Current edition & archive (1981-): LexisNexis Congressional
• Archive (1938-1983): HeinOnline

2. In Print:

• Current edition: Reserve
• Previous 5 years: LL1

3. In Microform:

• 1938 to date: Microfiche #95

II.  Updating Regulations

Regulations are amended frequently, so they must be checked to make sure there have been no recent changes. Although each volume of the C.F.R. is revised annually, at some point during the year a C.F.R. volume could be up to a year out of date. There are several ways to check for changes to a regulation.

• LEXIS and WESTLAW: Both services incorporate recent amending regulations into the text of the C.F.R. The currency of a particular section is noted.
• Specialized Looseleaf Services: Updated frequently, these services are a quick way of obtaining the most current text of a regulation on a particular subject. The services have detailed subject indexes. Looseleaf services can be located by subject, title or keyword using JACOB.
• LSA: List of CFR Sections Affected: The LSA lists amendments to sections of the C.F.R. The List of Sections Affected is published and cumulated monthly. It is organized by C.F.R. title and section number. Citations to amending regulations in the Federal Register are provided. The LSA can be searched in print or electronically.
• Print: Current LSA pamphlets are kept on Reserve. Earlier pamphlets and historic compilations (1949-2000) of the LSA are located on LL1.
• Online: GPO Access. The LSA is issued monthly. However, on GPO Access, the LSA also contains three supplemental services. These are the List of CFR Parts Affected Today, the Current List of CFR Parts Affected, and Last Month’s List of CFR Parts Affected.

 

last updated: 7/6/07