Research Guides: Federal Administrative Law Research Guide: Code of Federal Regulations CFR

About the CFR

Publication of Rules in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Temporary and interim rules are published in the Federal Register. However, most regulations are adopted as permanent regulations. After their initial publication in the Federal Register, these final rules are republished in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR has been published annually since 1938.

Regulations are arranged in the CFR under 50 broad subject categories, called titles. Each title is subdivided into chapters, with each chapter representing an executive agency responsible for promulgating the regulations. Each chapter is subdivided into parts, which represent a specific topic. Parts are subdivided into sections. Citations to the CFR usually include only the title number and the section number (e.g., 49 C.F.R. § 511.11 stands for title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations section 511.11).

Title 3 of the CFR is different from the other 49 CFR titles in that it compiles the presidential executive orders and proclamations issued during the year (following their initial publication in the Federal Register). Title 3 is devoted solely to executive orders and proclamations and does not contain agency rules.

A new edition of the CFR is published annually, however all 50 titles of the CFR are not revised at the same time. Revision of the titles is done in quarterly segments (titles 1-16 contain regulations in force as of Jan.1; titles 17-27 as of Apr. 1; titles 28-41 as of July 1; and titles 42-50 as of Oct. 1). Always check the date on the version of the CFR you are using (print or online) to see how current the information is and to determine the date you need to update from.

For More Information on the CFR

About the Code of Federal Regulations
A brief description of the CFR, its content and features, published annually with the CFR by the GPO.
Research Guide to the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations
A highly recommended research guide, by Richard J. McKinney (part of the Law LIbrarians' Society of Washington, DC's Legislative Source Book).

CFR Online

Subscription Databases

Federal Register Collection / Code of Federal Regulations This link opens in a new window
This HeinOnline collection provides coverage of the CFR from its inception (1938) to current official version.
Bloomberg Law This link opens in a new window
Full-text of the current CFR (see "Currency" note at the bottom of each rule).
Lexis This link opens in a new window
Full-text of the current CFR (update schedule within 2 weeks of publication in the Federal Register).
Westlaw This link opens in a new window
Current edition updated within a week or so from publication in the Federal Register. Archive coverage of previous editions of the CFR back to 1984.

Open Access Websites

eCFR, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
"A current, daily updated version of the CFR. It is not an official legal edition of the CFR. The eCFR is an unofficial editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments." Produced by the Office of the Federal Register and the GPO. The eCFR includes a "Point-in-Time System" feature that allows users "a way of exploring the Code of Federal Regulations as it exists today and at points in time back to January 2017."
Govinfo - Code of Federal Regulations (Annual Edition)
This collection includes the most recent annual edition of the CFR and an archive of earlier editions beginning as earlier as 1996.

CFR in Print & Subject Indexes

Annual Print Volumes

A print copy (paperback) of the official current edition is shelved on the 1st floor (call no. KF70 .A3). Earlier editions shelved in Law Library Storage (see Reference for assistance).

Subject Indexes to the CFR

West's Code of Federal Regulations. General Index
Call Number: Law Library Primary KF70 .A37 W47x (also available on Westlaw)
Publication Date: 2006-
A multi-volume index updated with new softbound editions annually. Provides detailed indexing.
CFR Index and Finding Aids
Call Number: Primary KF70 .A3
Publication Date: Annual
Published annually in hardcopy (part of the official CFR print set). This subject index also includes a few additional finding aid tools. The List of Agency-Prepared Indexes Appearing in Individual CFR Volumes (agency prepared indexes to the agency's own rules); Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules (lists the rulemaking authority for regulations published in the CFR and/or provides statutory citations which are noted as being applied or interpreted by a rule in the CFR.