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Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 1996 to Present
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Jump to: Sample Searches │ Sample URLs │ Metadata Fields and Values │ Related Resources
About the Code of Federal Regulations
What is the Code of Federal Regulations?
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
The online CFR is a joint project authorized by the publisher, the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Office of the Federal Register (OFR), and the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to provide the public with enhanced access to Government information.
Note: In the official paper bound version and the official PDF versions of 2007 edition of Title 49 volume 6 parts 400-599, the header incorrectly reads "(10-1-06 Edition)" and should have read "(10-1-07 Edition)".
When is it updated?The CFR on govinfo is current with the published print version of the CFR. When the print editions are released, the online version is also made available. If a CFR Title or volume is not listed in the CFR browse, that volume has not yet been published.
The 50 subject matter titles contain one or more individual volumes, which are updated once each calendar year, on a staggered basis. The annual update cycle is as follows:
- titles 1-16 are revised as of January 1
- titles 17-27 are revised as of April 1
- titles 28-41 are revised as of July 1
- titles 42-50 are revised as of October 1
- govinfo currently contains titles from 1996 to the present. CFR volumes are addedconcurrent with the release of the paper editions. When revised CFR volumes are added, the prior editions remain on govinfo as a historical set.
- Bulk data downloads of Code of Federal Regulations XML files are available to the general public via Data.gov and GPO's Bulk Data Repository. Information on the legal status, authenticity, and schema of the Code of Federal Regulations XML renditions can be found in theUser Guide Document - Code of Federal Register XML Rendition.
- To see more recently updated titles of the CFR, visit the electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR), a regularly updated, unofficial editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments. The eCFR is updated on a daily basis.
- To see a cumulative list of CFR sections that have been changed at any time since each CFR title was last updated, view the List of CFR Sections Affected (LSA)
- To find final and proposed rules that affect the CFR and have been published in the Federal Register within the past 24 hours, week, month, or within a specific date range, browse the CFR Parts Affected from the Federal Register
The CFR is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each title is divided into chapters, which usually bear the name of the issuing agency. Each chapter is further subdivided into parts that cover specific regulatory areas. Large parts may be subdivided into subparts. All parts are organized in sections, and most citations to the CFR refer to material at the section level.
What is the structure of a CFR citation (e.g. 21 CFR 310.502 Revised as of April 1, 1997)?The following describes how information is contained in a CFR citation.
- Title: The numeric value to the left of "CFR"
- Part: The numeric value to the right of "CFR" and preceding the period (".")
- Section/Subpart: The numeric value to the right of the period (".") A subpart is a letter of the alphabet (A-Z) that is used to retrieve an entire subpart of the CFR rather than many individual sections. For example: Subpart E.
- Revision Year: Four digit year from the "Revised as of" text represents the year being cited. The revision year is not always available when the CFR is cited.
Example: 21 CFR 310.502 Revised as of April 1, 1997
- Title: 21
- Part: 310
- Section: 502
- Year: 1997
Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules for the Code of Federal Regulations and the United States Code
The Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules lists rulemaking authority (except 5 U.S.C. 301) for regulations codified in the Code of Federal Regulations. Also included are statutory citations which are noted as being interpreted or applied by those regulations.
The table is divided into four segments and within each segment the citations are arranged in numerical order:
- For the United States Code citations, by title and section;
- For the United States Statutes at Large citations, by volume and page number;
- For public laws citations, by number;
- For Presidential documents (Proclamations, Executive orders, and Reorganization plans) citations, by document number.
Entries in the table are taken directly from the rulemaking authority citation provided by Federal agencies in their regulations. Federal agencies are responsible for keeping these citations current and accurate. Because Federal agencies sometimes present these citations in an inconsistent manner, the table cannot be considered all-inclusive. The portion of the table listing the United States Code citations is the most comprehensive, as these citations are entered into the table whenever they are given in the authority citations provided by the agencies. United States Statutes at Large and public law citations are carried in the table only when there are no corresponding United States Code citations given.
Beginning in 2017, the table is available in volumes of the CFR Index and Finding Aids publication on govinfo. You can download the entire CFR Index and Finding Aids volume or just the Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules.
- 2016: PDF|Text
- 2015: PDF|Text
- 2014: PDF|Text
- 2013: PDF|Text
- 2011: PDF|Text
- 2009: PDF|Text
Searching the Code of Federal Regulations
You can find and search the Code of Federal Regulations by:
- Using Basic Search for keyword and metadata fielded searches,
- Using Advanced Search; fields specific to the CFR will display after you select Code of Federal Regulations in the Refine by Collection column,
- Using Citation Search to retrieve a single Code of Federal Regulations document in PDF format if you know the Volume and Page of the document,
- Refining search results by clicking on links in the Refine Your Search panel on the left hand side of the page (the sections under Refine Your Search correspond to the metadata available for the documents), and
- Browsing the Code of Federal Regulations browse page.
General govinfo Search Tips
Search Examples
Search by Citation- For example, 7 CFR 1951.7 from 2016.
- Using Basic Search, enter: collection:cfr and citation:"7 CFR 1951.7" and publishdate:2016
- Using Advanced Search, selectCode of Federal Regulationsunder Refine by Collection, then under Search In selectCitationin the first box and enter “7 CFR 1951.7"in the second box
- Using Citation Search, selectCode of Federal RegulationsfromSelect Collection box, select2016fromSelect Year box, select7fromSelect Title Number box, and then enter 1951 in the Part field and 7inSectionbox
Search by Title Number- For example, CFR documents from Title 7.
- Using Basic Search, enter: collection:cfr and cfrtitlenum:7
- Using Advanced Search, selectCode of Federal Regulationsunder Refine by Collection, then under Search In selectCFR Title Numberin the first box and enter7in the second box
Search by Title and Part Number- CFR documents from Title 7, Part 1951.
- Using Basic Search, enter: collection:cfr and cfrtitlenum:7 and cfrpartnum:1951
- Using Advanced Search, selectCode of Federal Regulationsunder Refine by Collection, then under Search In selectCFR Title Numberin the first box, enter7in the second box, click + Additional Criteria, selectCFR Part Numberfromthe resulting box, and enter1951in the next box
Search by Keyword- For example, Code of Federal Regulations documents with “emissions” in the full text of the publication.
- Using Basic Search, enter: emissions and collection:cfr
- Using Advanced Search, selectCode of Federal Regulationsunder Refine by Collection, then under Search In enteremissionsin the second box
Sample Code of Federal Regulations URLs
Govinfo uses two key pieces of information to construct predictable URLs to documents and Details pages:
- Granule ID for the Code of Federal Regulations is used to identify the specific section, part, subpart, chapter, or subchapter within a volume of the publication.
- Package IDis used to identify an individual volume of the publication.
| Identifier | Structure/Metadata Field | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Granule ID | Chapter Subchapter Part Subpart Section Note: When a chapter, subchapter, part, section, or subpart is split over multiple volumes, combined files are not available and direct links to documents must be accessed at a more granular level. | CFR-2008-title39-vol1-chapI CFR-2008-title39-vol1-chapI-subchapB CFR-2008-title39-vol1-part20 CFR-2008-title39-vol1-part777-subpartA CFR-2008-title39-vol1-sec20-2 |
| Package ID | CFR-{Year}-title{CFR Title Number}-vol{CFR Volume Number} | CFR-2008-title39-vol1 |
Tip: You can also use the link service and API to construct predictable links.
Details Page for a Specific Section, Part, Subpart, Chapter or Subchapter
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/{Package ID}/{Granule ID}
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2008-title39-vol1/CFR-2008-title39-vol1-sec20-2
PDF File for a Specific Section, Part, Subpart, Chapter or Subchapter
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/pdf/{Granule ID}.pdf
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2008-title39-vol1/pdf/CFR-2008-title39-vol1-sec20-2.pdf
XML File for a Specific Section, Part, Subpart, Chapter or Subchapter
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/xml/{Granule ID}.xml
Example: http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2008-title39-vol1/xml/CFR-2008-title39-vol1-sec20-2.xml
Details Page for an Entire Volume
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/{Package ID}
Example: http://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2008-title39-vol1
PDF File for an Entire Volume
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/pdf/{Package ID}.pdf
Example: http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2008-title39-vol1/pdf/CFR-2008-title39-vol1.pdf
XML File for an Entire Volume
Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/xml/{Package ID}.xml
Example: http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2008-title39-vol1/xml/CFR-2008-title39-vol1.xml
Metadata Fields and Values
Metadata fields and values can be used to increase the relevancy of your searches. The metadata fields available for the Code of Federal Regulations are listed in the table below. Metadata fields and values are used throughout govinfo for
- Narrowing Your Search,
- Browsing Government Publications,
- Field Operators,
- Advanced Search, and
- Display on Details Pages.
Metadata fields and values can be entered into theBasic Search boxusing field operators. The field operators available for the Code of Federal Regulations are listed in the table below, along with examples for each metadata field. Using Field Operators
Some of these metadata fields are made available for use in Advanced Search. The metadata values can be entered in the same format for the fields available on the Advanced Search Page. Using Advanced Search
| Metadata Field Display Name | Metadata Field Definition | Field Operator | Field Operator Example(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collection | The collection to which the document belongs. Typically the same as the publication or series. | collection: | collection:cfr Note: "cfr" is used for the Code of Federal Regulations |
| Government Author | The names of the Government organizations responsible for authoring or assembling the document. | governmentauthor: | governmentauthor:"office of the federal register" |
| Publication Date | The date the document was first made available to the public. | publishdate: | publishdate:2016-01-01 Date format is YYYY, YYYY-MM, or YYYY-MM-DD |
| Language | The language code of the original document, from the ISO639-2b standard. | language: | language:eng |
| Former Package ID | The document ID of the "package." | mods:identifier:(@type:"former package identifier":"______") | mods:identifier:(@type:"former package identifier":"44CFR") |
| SuDoc Class Number | The SuDoc class number from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents which classifies Government publications by publishing agency. | sudocclass: | sudocclass:"AE 2.106/3:" Note: The SuDoc Class Numbers are at the class stem level, not the book number level. |
| Ingestion Date | The date the document was ingested into the preservation repository. | ingestdate: | ingestdate:2009-12-29 Date format is YYYY-MM-DD |
| Electronic Location (URL) | The URL where the document or the document in context (the content detail page) is located. | url: | url:pkg/CFR-2016-title1-vol1/pdf/CFR-2016-title1-vol1-sec1-1.pdf |
| Publisher | The government organization who publishes the document or publication. Not typically the Government Publishing Office (who serves as the printer and distributor), except in the case of Congressional publications. | publisher: | publisher:"Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration" |
| Branch | The branch of Government responsible for the document's contents. | branch: | branch:executive Note: Possible Values:Executive, Legislative, Judicial |
| Type of Resource | The media type for the document, typically "text". Defined as part of the Library of Congress MODS standard. | typeofresource: | typeofresource:text |
| WAIS Database Name | The name of the WAIS database to which the document belonged in the former GPO Access system. | waisdbname: | waisdbname:2016_cfr_1v1 |
| Record Origin | How the record was originally generated. Typically "machine generated." | recordorigin: | recordorigin:"machine generated" |
| Title | The title of the publication. | title: | title:"agriculture" |
| CFR Title Number | CFR Title Number, an integer number from 1 to 50. | cfrtitlenum: | cfrtitlenum:7 |
| CFR Part Number | CFR part number, an integer number of the part within the title. | cfrpartnum: | cfrpartnum:1951 |
| CFR Section Number | The CFR section number. | cfrsectionnum: | cfrsectionnum:94.1 |
| Heading | Search for the heading. | heading: | heading:"part 2" heading:"subpart I" heading:“chapter 9” |
| CFR Subject Group | The subject group for the sections, typically used for very large parts, such as the Internal Revenue part on income taxes. | cfrsubject: | cfrsubject:"income tax" |
| CFR Citation | Citation references to the Code of Federal Regulations. | cfrcitation: | cfrcitation:"40 CFR Part 32" |
| CFR Part Heading | cfrpartheading: | cfrpartheading:"part 2" | |
| CFR Part Title | cfrparttitle: | cfrparttitle:"capital construction fund" | |
| CFR SubPart Heading | cfrsubpartheading: | cfrsubpartheading:"subpart b" | |
| CFR SubPart Title | cfrsubparttitle: | cfrsubparttitle:"registration of pilots" | |
| CFR Chapter Heading | cfrchapterheading: | cfrchapterheading:"chapter 2" | |
| CFR Chapter Title | cfrchaptertitle: | cfrchaptertitle:"rural housing service" | |
| CFR Appendix Heading | cfrappheading: | cfrappheading:"appendix a" | |
| CFR Appendix Title | cfrapptitle: | cfrapptitle:"alternate foods for meals" | |
| Book Contents Statement | cfrbookcontents: | cfrbookcontents:"parts 1 to 199" | |
| CFR Authority | cfrauthority: | cfrauthority:"44 U.S.C. Ch. 35" | |
| CFR Source | cfrsource: | cfrsource:"38 FR 25170" | |
| CFR Cross Reference | cfrxref: | cfrxref:"42 CFR 110" | |
| CFR Editorial Notes | cfreditorial: | cfreditorial:"70 FR 57994" | |
| CFR Citation Text: | cfrcitationtext: | cfrcitationtext:"60 FR 13895, Mar. 15, 1995, as amended at 69 FR 42100, July 14, 2004" | |
| Citation | The GPO standard method for searching citation references from the selected publication. | citation: | citation:"9 CFR 2.2" |
| Congressional Bills Citation | Citation references to Congressional Bills. | billscitation: | billscitation:"h.r. 1" |
| Congressional Report Citation | Citation references to Congressional Reports. | crptcitation: | crptcitation:"S. Rept. 99-296" |
| Public and Private Law Citation | Citation references to Public or Private Laws. | plawcitation: | plawcitation:"public law 71-126" |
| United States Code Citation | Citation references to the United States Code. | uscodecitation: | uscodecitation:"42 U.S.C. 3121" |
| Statutes at Large Citation | Citation references to Statutes at Large. | statutecitation: | statutecitation:"70 Stat. 1046" |
| Federal Register Citation | Reference to the Federal Register, in standard citation format. | frcitation: | frcitation:"52 FR 49386" |
| Reference Citation | Reference to another document within the text of a document. | refcitation: | refcitation:"42 U.S.C. 3121" |
Code of Federal Regulations Related Resources
- List of CFR Sections Affected - Proposed, new, and amended Federal regulations that have been published in the Federal Register since the most recent revision date of a CFR title.
- Browse CFR Parts Affected from the Federal Register - Final and proposed rules that affect the CFR and have been published in the Federal Register within the past 24 hours, week, month, or within a specific date range.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) - A regularly updated, unofficial editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments produced by the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register and the Government Publishing Office
- Regulations.gov -Find, review, and submit comments on Federal rules that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register. Managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eRulemaking Program Management Office.
- A Guide to the Rulemaking Process (PDF) -Prepared by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration.
- Contact your local Federal Depository Library -Including issues prior to 1996 using the Federal Depository Library Directory.
- Purchase individual CFR titles in print -From GPO's Online Bookstore
- Download the CFR (Annual) in bulk XML -From GPO's bulk data repository.
- Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules -For the Code of Federal Regulations and the United States Code
- Federal Register -Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents
- FederalRegister.gov -Unofficial, HTML (XML-based) edition of the daily Federal Register provided by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
- Reginfo.gov -Provides reliable, transparent information about regulations under development
Code of Federal Regulations Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Code of Federal Regulations Published?
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is current with the published print version of the CFR. When the print editions are released, the online version is also made available. If a CFR Title or volume is not listed in the CFR browse, that volume has not been published at that time. The date for which a particular Title of the CFR is published varies with each Title and volume and is dependent upon the publisher. The Code of Federal Regulations is published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration.
In general, CFR volumes are updated (not published) once each calendar year, on a staggered basis in accordance with the annual update cycle. The annual update cycle is as follows: Titles 1-16 are updated as of January 1st; Titles 17-27 are updated as of April 1st; Titles 28-41 are updated as of July 1st; Titles 42-50 are updated as of October 1st.
As an alternative resource, the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), is a currently updated version of the CFR. It is not an official legal edition of the CFR. The e-CFR is an editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments produced by the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Publishing Office. OFR updates the material in the e-CFR on a daily basis.
How do I access the electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)?
The e-CFR is available at www.ecfr.gov.
How do you report errors in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) or e-CFR?
Technical errors with this site should be reported to askGPO. It will help us to troubleshoot the issue faster if you include the following:
- what device you're using (mobile device, desktop, etc.)
- the specific URL of the page you were trying to access,
- the steps you took that resulted in the error,
- any specific search or browse terms you used, and/or
- a screenshot of the page where the error occurred.
For questions or comments regarding e-CFR editorial content, features, or design, email [emailprotected].
For questions concerning e-CFR programming and delivery issues, email [emailprotected].
Errors made by the issuing agency should be reported to the agency that issued the regulation. The agency that issued the regulation is listed in the chapter heading. Agencies correct their errors by publishing CFR amendment documents in the Federal Register. Agency correction documents are generally styled as "final rule corrections" or "technical amendments."
How do I access historical editions of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) or other collections on this site?
This site provides access to most collections from approximately 1994 (103rd Congress) forward. Years of coverage for each collection are indicated next to the collection name on the Browse A to Z page. Historical versions or years of collections can be obtained from a Federal Depository Library. Federal publications and other information products are made available for free public use in Federal depository libraries throughout the United States. In addition to the publications, trained librarians are available to assist in their use. Locate a Federal Depository Library.
Do you have a single PDF file for the entire edition or full Titles of the Code of Federal Regulations?
At this time, it is not possible to download entire editions or complete titles of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) on govinfo as a single PDF file unless the whole title is comprised of a single book/volume. There are often several volumes (or printed books) across one title. For example, Title 49 is printed in 9 volumes. You cannot obtain the entire title in one electronic file because that is not the way the document is processed. The electronic volumes correspond with the print volumes.
What does it mean when I see [Reserved] in the CFR?
"[Reserved]" is a term used as a place holder within the Code of Federal Regulations. An agency uses "[Reserved]" to simply indicate that it may insert regulatory information into this location some time in the future. Occasionally "[Reserved]" is used to indicate that a portion of the CFR was intentionally left empty and not accidentally dropped due to a printing or computer error.
