This guide is intended to help you use the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations, the official sources of administrative regulations issued by the executive branch of the federal government.

The Federal Register (FR) is published daily. The library has a complete set (1936 to date) on microfiche; we also have the current year plus last year in paper.

• It publishes proposed and final departmental regulations, Presidential proclamations and executive orders, legal notices and other federal agency information.

• A table of contents, organized by departments and agencies, appears in each issue.

• A list of "CFR Parts Affected During (Month)" cumulates daily from the beginning to the end of each month.

• A separate monthly index, organized by departments and agencies, cumulates from January through December.

• The last few volumes are on the Internet in the GPO Access database at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html. Today's issue is posted today.

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is revised annually. The library has all editions (1938 to date) on microfiche, as well as the current edition in paper.

• It publishes "general and permanent" regulations first published in the Federal Register.

• Regulations are grouped by departments and agencies into 50 titles (e.g., title 11 contains Federal Election Commission regulations), which are further divided into parts and sections.

• The code includes a CFR Index and Finding Aids volume which indexes regulations by departments, agencies and topics. This volume also contains a "Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules" listing sources of federal law under which current regulations have been issued.

  Another useful index is the Index to the Code of Federal Regulations published by the Congressional Information Service.

• Each CFR volume contains a "List of CFR Sections Affected" which reports changes year by year back to 1986. A separate publication with the same title extends this table back to 1949.

• The CFR is updated by the monthly LSA: List of CFR Sections Affected, and by the "CFR Parts Affected During (Month)" in each Federal Register issue.

• All CFR titles are on the Internet in the GPO Access database at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html.

To find regulations on a particular subject

1. Start with the CFR Index and Finding Aids or the Index to the Code of Federal Regulations. Look for your regulation by subject (e.g., campaign funds) or by agency (e.g., Federal Election Commission). Under your chosen heading you will find citations (e.g., 11 CFR 104) telling you which CFR title(s) and part(s) contain regulations on that subject.

2. Or try a keyword search in the CFR in GPO Access.

To find the authority for a regulation

At the beginning of the CFR part you are using (after the table of contents), look for an authority note citing the United States Code section(s), or other federal law, which authorized the regulations. In the Federal Register an authority note for a proposed or final rule appears at the beginning of the text of the rule (not the preamble).

To find out whether a CFR part or section has been amended

1. What to do:

1. First, look at the front cover of your CFR volume to find out the revision date.

2. Next, consult LSAs since that date. If your title and section number appear in the LSA, the right-hand column gives the page number of an amendment published in the Federal Register. A table in the back of each LSA matches Federal Register page numbers with issue dates.

2. For further updating, consult Federal Register issues published after the latest LSA. Each issue has a list of "CFR Parts Affected During (Month)" which cumulates daily from the beginning to the end of each month. See whether your title and part are listed in month-end issues. If they are, you will see the page number of an amendment published in the Federal Register. A table matches page numbers with issue dates.

3. Or do a keyword search in the latest volume of the Federal Register in GPO Access.

To trace a current CFRsection back to its origins

1. To find out where a part or section was first published in the Federal Register, look for a source note in the CFR at the beginning of the part (after the table of contents), or at the end of a particular section.

2. Another way to trace a rule back to its origins is to consult the "List of CFR Sections Affected" at the end of the current CFRvolume you are using. This list reports amendments year by year back to 1986. For earlier coverage, see the separate volumes entitled List of CFR Sections Affected covering 1973-1985, 1964-1972 and 1949-1963.

To find regulations issued under particular federal authority

1. Consult the "Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules" in the current CFR Index and Finding Aids. The left-hand column lists sources of federal law (U.S. Code, U.S. Statutes at Large, Public Laws and several kinds of Presidential documents). On the right are the CFRcitations to regulations promulgated under the authority of the listed sources.

2. Or search for the federal citation (e.g., a title and section of the U.S. Code) in the CFR or Federal Register in GPO Access.

To find proposed regulations

1. If you know which CFR part(s) would be affected

1. First, see recent LSAs. Parts to be affected by proposed rules are listed at the end of each title.

2. Then check the cumulative list of "CFR Parts Affected During (Month)" in month-end issues of the Federal Register published since the latest LSA. Parts to be affected by proposed rules are listed at the end of each title.

2. If you know the issuing agency

1. Consult the Federal Register index covering the relevant time period. Proposed rules are listed under the issuing departments/agencies.

2. If you have an approximate date, check Federal Register tables of contents under the appropriate department or agency.

3. Another approach is to try searching the latest volume or two of the Federal Register in GPO Access.

Updated 02/05/2008