Administrative Law Research

Finding newly promulgated regulations & proposed regulations:

• If you know that a regulation has been proposed or adopted recently, look in the Federal Register
  • Use the print monthly (cumulative) Federal Register Index or search online

Finding regulations in force. Does a regulation exist?

• Search the CFR. Look for regulations in the CFR in one of the following ways:
  • Use CFR Index and Finding Aids (a single volume within the CFR set)
    • Published annually, one volume with two parts:
      • Subject/agency index (refers to CFR part, not section)
      • Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules.
  • If you know the authorizing statute use:
    • Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules, in the CFR index and Finding Aids volume
      • If you have a U.S.C. citation, then you can find regulations promulgated under that authority

• Use West's Code of Federal Regulations General Index, 4 volumes, with references to CFR title and code section.

• Use an annotated code: USCS or USCA
  • Look in the statute's annotations for cross references to applicable CFR regulations
  • USCS usually has more CFR cross references in its annotations than does USCA