Before they adopt new regulations, federal administrative agencies in the United States seek public comments on their regulatory proposals. For many years, it has not been easy to find out what proposed rules are open for comment.
RuleFinder provides easy access to all the proposed rules that major agencies currently have open for public comment. Simply click on any of the agency names below and you will be transferred to a search result page on Regulations.gov listing which rules, if any, the listed agency has open for comment. Then just follow the instructions on Regulations.gov if you wish to submit a comment to the agency.
This RuleFinder resource site was developed as a public service by Cary Coglianese, the Director of the Penn Program on Regulation. It also serves as a proof of concept for a key recommendation he offered in a 2011 report to the Administrative Conference of the United States, namely for each federal agency to provide a link on its home page to all of its proposed rules open for public comment.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Department of Commerce (DOC)
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of Education (ED)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Department of State (DOS)
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Department of the Treasury (TREAS)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Farm Credit Administration (FCA)
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
Federal Reserve System (FRS)
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Additional Resources
U.S. Government Websites
Guides to the U.S. Rulemaking Process
- The Office of the Federal Register, A Guide to the Rulemaking Process
- ICF Consulting, Reg Map: Informal Rulemaking
- George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Regulation 101
Related Papers and Reports
Cary Coglianese, Illuminating Regulatory Guidance, 9 Mich. J. Envtl. & Admin. L. 243 (2020)
Cary Coglianese & Todd Rubin, Improving Regulations.gov, The Regulatory Review (May 28, 2019)