Federal Register Document Number: Find and Use It

The number that finds one document

A single digit off can send you to the wrong rule. The Federal Register document number is the short ID that points to one published Federal Register document.

Recent document numbers often look like a year, a hyphen, and five digits, such as 2024-13208. Older records can use other formats, so copy the number exactly as shown. FederalRegister.gov uses the number as a direct lookup key. Its API says a Federal Register document number can fetch information about any published document since 1994.

You will see the number on FederalRegister.gov. You may also see it on Federal Register public inspection pages after a document is linked to its published version, and on Regulations.gov pages as the Federal Register Number. Use it when you need the exact notice, proposed rule, final rule, correction, or presidential document.

The document number is best for finding the document. For formal legal citation, also keep the Federal Register citation: volume, FR, and first page. For comments, keep the docket ID and follow the document's Addresses or Instructions section, because comments go where the agency tells readers to file them.

Do not mix it up with nearby IDs

Federal rulemaking has several IDs because each one answers a different question.

• Federal Register document number: identifies one Federal Register document, such as a notice, proposed rule, rule, correction, or presidential document.
• Federal Register citation: points to the printed issue by volume and page. Use this when a court, lawyer, or agency asks for a citation.
• Docket ID: identifies a docket, often on Regulations.gov. A docket can group the Federal Register document, supporting materials, and public comments.
• RIN: identifies a regulatory action in the Unified Agenda and related agency tracking systems.
• CFR citation: points to rules as codified in the Code of Federal Regulations after they are adopted. A proposed rule may list CFR parts it would change, but the proposal itself is still a Federal Register document.

These IDs often sit close together in the same document. That is useful, but it also causes bad searches. If you paste a docket ID where a document number belongs, you may get the whole docket instead of the specific Federal Register notice. If you paste a CFR part, you may get the standing regulation instead of the document that changed it.

How to use the number

Use the document number when you want the exact Federal Register item, then use the docket and dates to act on it.

• Search the number on FederalRegister.gov. Copy the hyphen or any letters exactly.
• Open the matching document and check the title, agency, publication date, and document type.
• Look for comment dates on proposed rules and notices that request comment. Final rules usually list an effective date, but some rules also ask for later comments.
• If you plan to comment, follow the instructions in the document and use Regulations.gov only when the agency accepts comments there.
• If you need to watch new matches, create a free watch at RegWatch for the agency, topic, or docket terms you care about.

Public inspection can show documents before publication, but the published Federal Register document is the main source once it appears. FederalRegister.gov warns legal researchers to verify against the official PDF or official edition when legal notice matters.

Proposed rules, final rules, and deadlines

The same kind of number can appear on documents with very different legal effects.

A proposed rule asks for public comment before an agency decides what to do. The deadline is in the document, and many comment windows are short. A final rule states the agency's adopted rule and usually gives an effective date. A notice may announce a meeting, request information, open a comment period, or handle another agency action.

The Federal Register document number does not tell you which of those you have. Read the document type and the dates section. Then check the agency instructions. Agencies act under statutes that give them rulemaking authority, so the same subject can have different procedures depending on the agency and law involved.

For more background, see the related RegWatch guides on Federal Register comments, dockets, and CFR parts affected.