National
Archives and Records Administration

The Code of Federal Regulations

About the Code of Federal Regulations

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CFR Services available online via GPO Access

About the CFR online
Establishing HTML links to GPO's CFR WAIS databases
Search the entire set of CFR databases by keyword (current data)
Retrieve CFR sections by citation (current and/or historical data)
Search or browse your choice of CFR titles and/or volumes (current and/or historical data)
LSA (List of CFR Sections Affected) (current and/or historical data) NEW
Search the Federal Register for related documents (current and/or historical data)

CFR Titles for Sale via GPO Access NEW

PARALLEL TABLE OF AUTHORITIES AND RULES
TXT (958K)    PDF (287K)
(Extracted from the January 1, 2001, revision of the CFR Index and Finding Aids -- pp. 729-833)


The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is a codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The CFR online is a joint project authorized by the publisher, the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register, and the Government Printing Office (GPO) to provide the public with enhanced access to Government information. GPO will continue to make the paper editions of the CFR and Federal Register available through its Superintendent of Documents Sales service.

The CFR is divided into 50 titles which represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each title is divided into chapters which usually bear the name of the issuing agency. (See: Alphabetical List of Agencies Appearing in the CFR (TXT 32k) (PDF 85k)-- extracted from the January 1, 1998, revision of the CFR Index and Finding Aids  -- pp. 1001-1009.) Each chapter is further subdivided into parts covering specific regulatory areas. Large parts may be subdivided into subparts. All parts are organized in sections, and most citations to the CFR will be provided at the section level.

The following links provide a LIST OF CFR TITLES, CHAPTERS, SUBCHAPTERS, AND PARTS as extracted from the January 1, 1998, revision of the CFR Index and Finding Aids. Each volume of the CFR is revised once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis approximately as follows:

Title  1 through Title 16
........ as of January 1..... (TXT 168k) (PDF 217k)
Title 17 through Title 27
........ as of April 1....... (TXT 116k) (PDF 180k)
Title 28 through Title 41
........ as of July 1........ (TXT 195k) (PDF 237k)
Title 42 through Title 50
........ as of October 1..... (TXT 215k) (PDF 991k)

CFR volumes are added to the online service concurrent with the release of the paper editions. When revised CFR volumes are added, the prior editions will remain on GPO Access as a historical set. Refer to the page, "Search your choice of CFR titles and/or volumes," for an up-to-date listing of titles and volumes available in current and historical editions.

CFR volumes appear online as WAIS databases, accessible through the World Wide Web, with WAIS client software, or via telnet or dial-in access. Documents may be retrieved in ASCII "TEXT" format (full text, graphics omitted), Adobe Portable Document Format, "PDF" (full text with graphics), and "SUMMARY" format (abbreviated text).

GPO Access provides the user with a number of different ways to find CFR information online.

The link, "Search the entire set of CFR databases by keyword," enables you to search all 50 titles. This option is particularly useful if you do not have any idea what title to search. However, because you are searching all 50 titles, this search will take a few minutes to process. (This function searches the most recent volumes).

If you know the CFR citation (title and section) you can take advantage of the "retrieval function" by using the "Retrieve available CFR sections by citation" link. This provides you with the capability to execute a very specific search and immediately retrieve the document in PDF or ASCII text format. (This function allows you to search the most recent and/or historical volumes).

The link, "Search your choice of CFR titles and/or volumes," enables you to limit the search to one or more titles and/or volumes. A table is provided which lists the subject of each title and allows you to choose current or historical versions. Because this option allows you to limit your search, you will get a very specific search results list that will appear more quickly than if you search all the CFR titles. (This function allows you to search the most recent and/or historical volumes).

Helpful hints are available in HTML as an aid for developing search terms.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This document is sponsored by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration on the United States Government Printing Office web site.

Questions or comments regarding this service? Contact the GPO Access User Support Team by Internet e-mail at gpoaccess@gpo.gov; by telephone at (202) 512-1530 or toll free at (888) 293-6498; by fax at (202) 512-1262.

[ NARA HOME ] [ GPO HOME ] [ GPO INET Services ]

Page #nara/about-cfr.html April 23, 2002