This site displays a prototype of a “Web 2.0” version of the daily Federal Register. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal Register, and does not replace the official print version or the official electronic version on GPO’s govinfo.gov.
The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal Register documents. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the corresponding official PDF file on govinfo.gov. This prototype edition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov will remain an unofficial informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. For complete information about, and access to, our official publications and services, go to About the Federal Register on NARA's archives.gov.
The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned publication in the future. While every effort has been made to ensure that the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for legal research should verify their results against an official edition of the Federal Register. Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML rendition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov does not provide legal notice to the public or judicial notice to the courts.
[This post was written by OFR intern Lissa N. Snyders]
Although agency regulations are not official until they are published in the Federal Register, the public has the opportunity to preview these documents before they are published. All documents that will be printed in the Federal Register are made available to the public at least one day before they are published. This process is called Public Inspection.
Originally the public had to visit the Office of the Federal Register in Washington, DC, in person, to physically look at documents that they were interested in. Lines would often form outside our door to view high interest documents. Now that the Public Inspection List is available online, the physical Public Inspection Desk sees few visitors.
The documents on Public Inspection will not always be published in the next day’s Federal Register, however. Some documents are on Public Inspection for more than one day to allow the public additional time to view it. Agencies may also request that their document no longer be published. Some reasons for this may include that the document is no longer necessary or they need to make revisions.
The Public Inspection List is available each federal working day at 8:45 am EST. Some documents are submitted after the list is posted for the day and will be included later that day, typically at 11:15 am and 4:15 pm. These are called “Special Filing” documents and generally include meeting notices required by the Sunshine Act or documents with a legal deadline. Special Filing documents published in the most recent update are marked with a green bullet point, shown in the example below, to make them easy to spot.
Beginning in March, the Federal Register Public Inspection List is only available in person at the Office of the Federal Register Public Inspection Desk or online at www.federalregister.gov. Follow @FedRegister and #PIL on Twitter for daily updates on the Public Inspection List. You can also sign up for email notifications of new documents by creating an account on federalregister.gov.
Learn more about Public Inspection on our website.