To cite the Federal Register, combine four elements: the volume number, the abbreviation “Fed. Reg.” (or “F.R.” in APA), the starting page number, and the publication date. Most styles also put the document’s title in front of the volume. The exact arrangement depends on which citation style you use and what kind of document you’re citing.
First, Check Whether You Should Cite the CFR Instead
The Federal Register prints documents as they first appear: proposed rules, final rules, notices, executive orders, and proclamations. The Code of Federal Regulations is the organized compilation of those rules after codification. Under Bluebook Rule 14.2, cite the CFR whenever a regulation has been codified there, and cite the Federal Register only when a CFR citation isn’t available.
That leaves the Federal Register as the right source for proposed rules that haven’t been finalized, final rules not yet in the CFR, notices, and executive orders and proclamations. It’s also the right source when a rule has been codified but you need to reference the original preamble or the agency’s reasoning, because the CFR doesn’t include preambles.
The Four Elements Every Citation Uses
Every style pulls from the same building blocks:
- Volume number. Each calendar year gets a new volume; 2026 is Volume 91. The volume number is not the year, and swapping one for the other is one of the most common errors.
- Abbreviation. Legal citation uses “Fed. Reg.” APA uses “F.R.” Chicago spells out “Federal Register.”
- Page number. The first page where the document begins in that volume.
- Date. The publication date, not the effective date and not the signing date.
Most styles also require the document’s title before the volume number. You can confirm any of these details on FederalRegister.gov or from the official PDF on GovInfo.gov.
Bluebook and ALWD Format
The Bluebook and the ALWD Guide to Legal Citation use the same basic structure:
Title of Document, Volume Fed. Reg. Page (Date).
A real example: Extension of Expiration Dates for 13 Body System Listings, 90 Fed. Reg. 43,911 (Sept. 11, 2025).
The document title comes first, followed by a comma. The volume number sits directly before “Fed. Reg.” with no punctuation between them. The page number follows a single space after “Fed. Reg.” The date goes in parentheses at the end with the standard month abbreviations. Bluebook style inserts commas in page numbers above 999 (43,911 rather than 43911), even though the Federal Register itself does not.
When the rule is slated for codification, add a parenthetical showing where it will appear: Termination of the Designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status, 90 Fed. Reg. 28760 (July 1, 2025) (to be codified at 8 C.F.R. pt. 244).
Pinpoint Citations
To point a reader to a specific passage, list the starting page, a comma, and then the pinpoint page: 82 Fed. Reg. 31039, 31040 (July 5, 2017). The first number tells the reader where the document begins; the second tells them exactly where to look.
Proposed Rules
Proposed rules use the same format with a “proposed” parenthetical and, where applicable, the future CFR location: Endangered and Threatened Species; Critical Habitat for the Threatened Indo-Pacific Corals, 85 Fed. Reg. 76262 (proposed Nov. 27, 2020) (to be codified at 50 C.F.R. pt. 226).
Executive Orders and Proclamations
Executive orders take a modified structure that includes the order number:
Title (optional), Exec. Order No. [Number], Volume Fed. Reg. Page (Date).
For example: Implementation of the CHIPS Act of 2022, Exec. Order No. 14,080, 87 Fed. Reg. 52,847 (Aug. 30, 2022).
One detail catches people out: the date in parentheses is the Federal Register publication date, not the day the president signed the order. Those dates are often a day or two apart, and using the signing date will send readers to the wrong issue.
APA Format
APA 7th edition treats Federal Register documents more like periodical articles. The general structure is:
Title or Number, Volume F.R. Page (Date). URL
APA uses “F.R.” rather than “Fed. Reg.” and includes the full URL at the end. For proposed rules, add a parenthetical after the page number: (proposed Month Day, Year) (to be codified at Volume C.F.R. ยง xxx). If you’re writing for an academic journal or a university assignment, confirm whether your program requires APA or Bluebook. Mixing the two is a common mistake.
Chicago Format
Chicago treats Federal Register entries similarly to periodical articles, with more bibliographic detail. A bibliography entry follows this pattern:
U.S. [Agency or President]. “Document Title.” Federal Register Volume, no. Issue Number (Date): Page. URL.
For example: U.S. President. Proclamation. “National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, 2013, Proclamation 9050 of October 31, 2013.” Federal Register 78, no. 214 (November 5, 2013): 66611.
Chicago differs from legal citation in three ways: it includes the issue number in addition to the volume, spells out “Federal Register,” and uses a colon before the page number. Footnote citations follow the same structure but use commas instead of periods between elements.
Where to Find the Details You Need
Every element of a citation lives on two official government sites.
FederalRegister.gov displays the volume, page range, and publication date near the top of each document page. You can search by citation (like “88 FR 382”) or by document number, the unique identifier that looks like 2024-13208.
GovInfo.gov hosts the official PDF versions and has a dedicated citation search tool. Select “Federal Register” from the collection dropdown, enter the volume and page number, and it returns the PDF, which matches the printed edition page for page. Use this version when you need to verify page numbers or read the citation details straight off the header.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Citing the Federal Register when the rule is already in the CFR. The Federal Register citation is a backup for material not yet in or not included in the CFR.
- Writing the year where the volume belongs, as in “2025 Fed. Reg.” instead of “90 Fed. Reg.” The volume number is printed on the cover and at the top of each page.
- Using the signing date for executive orders and proclamations, or the effective date for rules. Cite the publication date.
- Linking to third-party copies. Use the GovInfo.gov PDF or the FederalRegister.gov permalink so the link remains stable.
- Leaving out the document title. Both Bluebook and ALWD require the title before the volume number.
When any element is uncertain, pull the document on GovInfo.gov and read the citation details from the PDF itself. Every piece of information you need is printed on the page.