Regulations & Agency Materials
Codified rules, the Federal Register, presidential documents and agency decisions.
Every federal rule has two addresses. The Code of Federal Regulations shows where the rule’s words sit; the Federal Register shows when and how the agency put them there. Below, one of each, taken apart.
A codified rule, pinpointed three paragraph levels down
28 C.F.R. § 35.130(b)(7)(i) (2024).
- 1 title number
- 2 code, abbreviated with periods
- 3 section sign, then part 35 and section 130
- 4 paragraph chain, three levels, no spaces
- 5 annual edition revised as of July 1, 2024
The rulemaking document, cited to the Federal Register
Non-Compete Clause Rule, 89 Fed. Reg. 38342 (May 7, 2024) (final rule).
- 6 title from the document’s own heading
- 7 volume: the year minus 1935
- 8 Fed. Reg., abbreviated
- 9 first page of the document
- 10 issue date, not the effective date
- 11 stage, from the ACTION line
15.1Reading a regulation citation
In the print and Kindle editions
15.2The CFR: title, part, section, paragraph
In the print and Kindle editions
15.3Annual edition or eCFR: say which you used
In the print and Kindle editions
15.4The version in force on a date
In the print and Kindle editions
15.5Federal Register documents: proposed, final, notice
In the print and Kindle editions
15.6Executive orders, proclamations and other presidential documents
In the print and Kindle editions
15.7Agency decisions and orders
In the print and Kindle editions
15.8Guidance, rulings, manuals and releases
In the print and Kindle editions
15.9Attorney General and OLC opinions
In the print and Kindle editions
15.10The Federal Sentencing Guidelines
In the print and Kindle editions
15.11Patents, trademark and copyright registrations
In the print and Kindle editions
15.12State codes, registers and attorney general opinions
In the print and Kindle editions
15.13Short forms
In the print and Kindle editions
15.14Errors to catch
In the print and Kindle editions