Citation Guides
How to Cite Federal Regulations (C.F.R.)
Final federal regulations are cited to the Code of Federal Regulations by title, part, and section. Proposed rules and preamble material are cited to the Federal Register.
The format
[title] C.F.R. § [part].[section] ([year])
29 C.F.R. § 1604.11
The pieces, in order
- Title. The C.F.R. title, which loosely tracks the subject: title 29 is labor, title 26 is tax, title 8 is immigration.
- C.F.R.. Code of Federal Regulations, the codified rules currently in force.
- Part and section. The part number, a period, and the section within the part: § 1604.11 is section 11 of part 1604.
- Year. Bluebook style cites the most recent annual edition; practitioner documents commonly omit the year.
Common mistakes
- Citing the C.F.R. for a rule that has not been codified yet. New and proposed rules live in the Federal Register, cited by volume, page, and full date: 88 Fed. Reg. 12345 (Feb. 27, 2023).
- Confusing the granting statute with the regulation. 29 C.F.R. § 1604.11 implements Title VII; the statute itself is 42 U.S.C. § 2000e.
- Dropping the part number: § .11 or § 11 alone is not a C.F.R. cite.
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Formats follow standard Bluebook conventions. Individual courts may impose their own citation rules; always check the local rules of the court you are filing in. CiteLaw provides legal information, not legal advice.