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Publication in the FR & CFR: How to publish

Why does my agency need permission to publish documents?

Get permission to publish documents in the Federal Register and CFR

My agency has never published documents before

  • Draft a letter, on official agency letterhead, addressed to the Director of the Federal Register. [Template available]
  • In the letter -
    • include the following information:
      • the full legal name of the agency (or component), its preferred acronym, and (for newly-established agencies) statutory citation creating the agency;
      • a description of the legal authority to publish (e.g. statute, regulation, agency delegation), with the authority attached if no hyperlink is available;
      • an explanation of why publication is needed; and
      • a description of the type of documents to be published (notices only or notices and rulemaking documents), including the general subject matter and a suggested CFR title for rulemaking documents.
    • designate agency Federal Register liaison and certifying officers (who must be Federal employees) by providing:
      • the names of the main officer and at least one alternate for each category;
      • phone numbers, email addresses for each officer; and
      • a group email box (if you have one).
  • Electronically sign the letter, by:
    • wet-signing a paper letter (this signature is also known as a pen-and-ink signature), then scan the letter and save all pages as a single pdf file; or
    • digitally-signing a Word (.docx) or pdf file, using a government-issued PIV card.
  • Email OFR's Legal Affairs and Policy Division (fedreg.legal "at" nara.gov).from an official Federal government email account -
    • include a short description that the OFR will include on your FederalRegister.gov agency page;
    • attach an image file of the agency seal; and
    • attach the electronically-signed letter.

If you do not yet have official agency letterhead or email accounts, the agency that is providing support (like a parent agency or GSA) may draft and send the letter on your behalf.  You may also designate the liaison and certifying officers from a parent or support agency instead of appointing your own.

If you choose to skip designating liaison and certifying officers in this initial letter, you must designate them in a separate letter before you may transmit documents for publication.

My parent agency has published documents but my agency has not

Send a letter as described above. [Template available] If your agency has its own letterhead and statutory authority to publish, we do not need permission from your parent agency.  If your agency does not have its own letterhead or if its authority to publish is based on agency delegation, we may need additional information.

My agency has published notices before but not rulemaking documents

  • Draft a letter, on official agency letterhead, addressed to the Director of the Federal Register. [Template available]
  • Include the following information:
    • an acknowledgement that your agency publishes notices and now needs to publish regulations;
    • a description of the general subject matter of the regulations and a suggested CFR title; 
    • an explanation of why publication is needed; and
    • a description of the legal authority to publish (e.g. statute, regulation, agency delegation), with the authority attached if no hyperlink is available.
  • Electronically sign the letter, by:
    • wet-signing a paper letter (this signature is also known as a pen-and-ink signature), then scan the letter and save all pages as a single pdf file; or
    • digitally-signing a Word (.docx) or pdf file, using a government-issued PIV card.
  • Email the letter to OFR's Legal Affairs and Policy Division (fedreg.legal "at" nara.gov).from an official Federal government email account.

Establish billing code with GPO

If your agency does not already have a billing code, contact the Government Publishing Office to establish one for your agency.  

Transmit documents for publication

Liaison/certifying officers

If you have not already done so, designate liaison and certifying officers for your agency.  These are the individuals who will serve as your agency's main points of contact to the OFR for all document-related matters.  They are the only ones who can sign special handling letters, approve edits, and withdraw documents (see 1 CFR part 16).

Webportal accounts

Designated liaison and certifying officers can request webportal accounts (to transmit digitally-signed documents electronically) once your agency is established in our system. Your designated officers must approve accounts for other individuals. 

Any designated officer who has a current webportal account for a parent agency will have secondary access to your agency added automatically if they are also your agency's designated officer.

Drafting standards

Before drafting and transmitting documents, visit OFR's Federal Agency Resources and read our Document Drafting and IBR Handbooks.

 

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