Request for Information in the Federal Register

The short version

A request for information, often called an RFI, is usually a Federal Register notice asking the public for facts, data, examples, costs, risks, or policy views before an agency decides what to do next.

An RFI is not the same thing as a proposed rule. It normally does not propose binding regulatory text, does not amend the Code of Federal Regulations, and does not create a compliance deadline by itself. It is a public input step. The agency may use the responses to decide whether to start a rulemaking, shape a later proposed rule, update guidance, improve a program, or decide that no rule is needed.

RFIs matter because they can be the earliest public sign that an agency is studying an issue that may later affect your business. If the notice has a comment deadline, the Federal Register document will say so under its dates and addresses sections. Use FederalRegister.gov to find the published document and official PDF, then submit formal comments through the channel named in the document, often Regulations.gov.

RFI, proposed rule, final rule, and notice

The document type tells you what stage you are looking at. The safest way to read any Federal Register item is to separate information gathering from rulemaking and from the final legal change.

• Request for information: A notice that asks questions or seeks data. It may lead to a later rulemaking, but the RFI itself usually does not create a new legal requirement.
• Proposed rule: A notice of proposed rulemaking explains what an agency wants to add, change, or remove. It gives the public a chance to comment before the agency decides whether to issue a final rule, unless a procedural exception applies.
• Final rule: The agency's adopted rule. A final rule usually includes an effective date and, when it is a general and permanent rule, instructions that update the CFR.
• Notice: A broad Federal Register category used for RFIs, meetings, information collections, grants, agency announcements, and other public notices that are not necessarily proposed or final rules.

The Federal Register is the daily publication where agencies publish proposed rules, final rules, notices, and presidential documents. The CFR is different: it is the organized set of current general and permanent federal regulations. A final rule may amend the CFR, but an RFI usually asks for information before any CFR text exists.

How to read an RFI without missing the deadline

Do not stop at the headline. The useful details are usually in the agency, docket, dates, addresses, and questions sections.

• Confirm the issuing agency and whether the agency is acting under a statute, executive direction, or program authority.
• Look for the action or document type. If it says notice or request for information, treat it as input gathering unless the document states otherwise.
• Read the dates section for the comment deadline. If no public-comment date is listed, check the full document and the docket before assuming comments are open.
• Use the docket ID to find supporting material and submitted comments on Regulations.gov when the docket is hosted there.
• Answer the agency's questions with concrete facts, costs, examples, and citations. Agencies are more likely to use comments that explain the practical effect of a policy choice.

Public-comment windows vary by document and agency. Some are short, some are extended, and some notices reopen a prior comment period. The controlling deadline is the one in the Federal Register document or the agency docket. If you need to watch for new RFIs or related proposed rules, start a free watch at RegWatch or browse the related guides at RegWatch guides.

What an RFI can and cannot do

An RFI can shape policy, but it is not a shortcut around rulemaking authority.

Federal agencies can make binding rules only when they have legal authority to do so. For many substantive rules, the agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comment, considers the record, and then publishes a final rule with an effective date. The details depend on the statute, the agency, and any procedural exceptions that apply.

An RFI is earlier and less binding. It can ask whether a problem exists, how a market works, what compliance costs might be, or which alternatives the agency should study. That makes it useful for companies, trade groups, nonprofits, state and local governments, and individuals who want to influence the record before a formal proposal appears.