Access Options
The Federal Register is available as a PDF official version as well as web 2.0 versions. Here are some options for staying current, submitting comments and learning about others comments:
- Regulations.gov"Let Your Voice Be Heard"
"Regulations.gov is your online source for U.S. government regulations from nearly 300 federal agencies.
We are committed to improving your access to and participation in the federal regulatory process." - Federal Register - authenticated PDFsThis link provides direct access to the official electronic watermarked version of the Federal Register. It is browsed by day.
- Gov PulseThe privately produce interface for the Federal Register XML content provide a geographic search options and other features.
- Federal Register - web 2.0Same content but in an interactive web version complete with topic RSS feeds, searching options, and tutorials.
Federal Regulations
The Federal Register is an important communication tool used by the agencies to give notice and solicit feedback on proposed regulations.
There are four types of content published in the Federal Register:
This category contains non-rulemaking documents that are applicable to the general public and named parties. These documents include notices of public meetings, hearings, investigations, grants and funding, environmental impact statements, information collections, statements of organization and functions, delegations, and other announcements of public interest.
This category contains proposed regulations. These documents announce and explain agencies’ plans to solve problems and accomplish goals, and give interested persons an opportunity to submit comments to improve the final regulation. It also includes advance notices of proposed rulemaking, petitions for rulemaking, negotiated rulemakings, and various proposed determinations and interpretations.
This category contains regulations that apply to the general public and have final legal effect. It also includes interim final rules, direct final rules, and various determinations, interpretive rules, and policy statements. The documents cite to the Code of Federal Regulations, which contains the codified text of final rules, and is published annually in 50 titles.
This category contains documents signed by the President of the United States. Documents include Executive Orders, Proclamations, Administrative Orders, Presidential Memoranda, and other issuances of the President that are required or directed to be published in theFederal Register.