About the Federal Register
Proposed changes to existing regulations and new regulations are first published in the Federal Register. Changes to regulations may be proposed at any time, so users must update the status and language of the regulations found in the C.F.R. by consulting the Federal Register. Learn more
In addition to proposed and adopted agency regulations, the Federal Register contains notices of meetings, hearings, and adjudicatory proceedings and the text of presidential proclamations and executive orders.
The Federal Register is published each business day.
Bluebook abbreviation: Fed. Reg.
Online Sources - Free
- Federal Register [Library of Congress]Covers 1936 to 1993.
- FederalRegister.gov [Office of the Federal Register]An easier to use and read version.
About FederalRegister.gov - Federal Register - Historical [Library of Congress]A browsable collection from vol. 1, 1936 to vol. 58, 1993.
Online Sources - Commercial
- Federal Register [Bloomberg Law]Covers vol. 64, 1999 to date.
- Federal Register [HeinOnline]
Covers vol. 1, 1936 to date. Includes indexes. - Federal Register [Lexis Advance]Covers March 1936 to date.
- Federal Register [Westlaw Campus Research]Covers March 1936 to date.
- Federal Register [Westlaw]Covers March 1936 to date.
Print Source
Federal RegisterCall Number: Reference Area, last 2 years (KF70 .A2); Compact Stacks, previous dates (KF70 .A2)Publication Date: 1936 to date
Indexes
Annual indexes are found at the end of each year in the print collection, as well as some of the online sources. See also:
- Federal Register Indexes [HeinOnline]Covers 1936 to the most recently completed annual index.
Having trouble finding the right heading to use in the index? See the Federal Register Thesaurus of Indexing Terms.
Guides & Tutorials
- Federal Register Tutorial [National Archives]Provides a historical background, information about the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations, online sources, and public participation in the rulemaking process.
- The Federal Register: Origins, Formulation, Realization, and Heritage28 Gov't Info. Q. 295-302 (2011).
An 8-page article written by a long-time staffer with the Congressional Research Service.