PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Federal regulation

How to Cite a Federal Regulation in APA 7

An APA 7 reference for a federal regulation in the Code of Federal Regulations gives the regulation's name, the title number, C.F.R., the § symbol and the section, and the year of the C.F.R. edition in parentheses: Bloodborne Pathogens, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1030 (2024). A rule that's only in the Federal Register so far gives the name, the volume, Fed. Reg., the first page, and the full date, marked "proposed" for a proposed rule, then where it will go in the C.F.R. There's no author and no italics. The in-text citation is the regulation's name and the year: (Bloodborne Pathogens, 2024).

The format

Name of Regulation, Title C.F.R. § Section (Year). URL

PERRLA APA Experts · Updated October 21, 2026
Checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

In PERRLA, choose Government Reports & Regulations (under Legal References), then A federal regulation, and pick the kind. A codified regulation asks for the regulation's name, a shortened title for your in-text citations, the C.F.R. title number (PERRLA labels it the volume number), the section, and the year. Type the section without the § symbol. Type a range like 46.401-46.409 and PERRLA prints §§ and an en dash.

Already have the citation from your reading, like Condition of Participation: Nursing Services, 42 C.F.R. § 482.23 (2025)? Paste it into PERRLA's reference search. PERRLA recognizes it as a federal regulation and fills in the name, title, section, and year. An eCFR link works too. Check the year it fills in and make it the C.F.R. edition year, and tidy the name to title case with no ending period.

For a rule that's only in the Federal Register, paste its federalregister.gov link. PERRLA reads the rule and fills in the name, the volume, the first page, the date, and the C.F.R. title and part it goes into, under Regulation hasn't been codified yet. PERRLA puts the date in Proposed Date. For a final rule, clear that box and put the same date in Final Rule Date, so your reference doesn't call it proposed.

Look up
Paste a C.F.R. citation, get the reference

Condition of Participation: Nursing Services, 42 C.F.R. § 482.23 (2025)

Condition of Participation: Nursing Services, 42 C.F.R. § 482.23 (2025). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title42-vol5/pdf/CFR-2025-title42-vol5-sec482-23.pdf

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same reference by hand.

The parts of the reference

1. Name of the regulation

Start with the regulation's name. For one section, that's the section's heading. For a group of sections, use the heading of the subpart or part they sit under. Capitalize it like a title, and don't italicize it or put it in quotation marks.

Condition of Participation: Nursing Services

The C.F.R. prints headings in sentence case or all capitals, like "Condition of participation: Nursing services." Switch them to title case and drop the ending period.

2. Title, C.F.R., and section

Give the C.F.R. title number, C.F.R. with periods, the section symbol, a space, and the section number. The title number comes first: 42 is Public Health, 45 is Public Welfare (where HHS's research and privacy rules live), and 29 is Labor (where OSHA's standards are).

42 C.F.R. § 482.23

For a range of sections, double the symbol and put an en dash between the first and last: 45 C.F.R. §§ 46.401–46.409. The number before the period in a section is its part, so § 482.23 is section 23 of Part 482.

3. Year of the C.F.R. edition

Put the year of the C.F.R. edition you used in parentheses, then a period. It isn't the year the regulation was written. The government reissues each title of the C.F.R. once a year, and GovInfo shows the edition at the top of every section, like "Revised as of October 1, 2025."

(2025).

Editions don't all come out on time. On GovInfo, the newest edition of the volume holding OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard is still the July 1, 2024 one, so that reference takes (2024).

4. Federal Register volume, page, and date (rules not in the C.F.R. yet)

A rule that's new, or only proposed, isn't in the C.F.R. yet. Cite the Federal Register instead: the volume, Fed. Reg., and the page where the rule begins, then the full date in parentheses. For a proposed rule, put "proposed" before the date.

87 Fed. Reg. 26454 (proposed May 4, 2022)

The Federal Register website writes this as "87 FR 26454." In your reference, write Fed. Reg., the legal abbreviation APA follows. A final rule gets the date alone, with no "proposed": 90 Fed. Reg. 55687 (December 3, 2025).

5. Where it will be codified

After the date, a Federal Register reference says where the rule will go in the C.F.R., in its own parentheses: "to be codified at," the title, C.F.R., and the part or section. The rule's first page lists it under the agency's name, like "21 CFR Part 1162."

(to be codified at 21 C.F.R. § 1162)

6. URL

A link is optional for legal references, but one to an official copy helps your reader. GovInfo (govinfo.gov) has the annual C.F.R. editions and the Federal Register, and federalregister.gov has each rule on its own page. Don't put a period after the URL.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title42-vol5/pdf/CFR-2025-title42-vol5-sec482-23.pdf

Examples

One section of the C.F.R.: the hospital nursing services rule

Medicare's condition of participation for hospital nursing services, the rule that requires 24-hour nursing services furnished or supervised by a registered nurse. It's one section, so it takes one §. The 2025 edition of Title 42 is revised as of October 1, 2025.

  • Parenthetical citation(Condition of Participation: Nursing Services, 2025)
  • Narrative citationCondition of Participation: Nursing Services (2025)

A range of sections with a shortened title: research with children

Subpart D of the Common Rule, the extra protections IRBs apply to research with children. It runs from § 46.401 to § 46.409, so the reference takes §§ and the subpart's heading. The shortened title keeps the in-text citation readable.

  • Parenthetical citation(Additional Protections for Children, 2025)
  • Narrative citationAdditional Protections for Children (2025)

When the newest C.F.R. edition is a year behind: OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard

OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard covers needlestick prevention, PPE, and hepatitis B vaccination for health care workers. The newest edition of its C.F.R. volume on GovInfo is revised as of July 1, 2024, so the year is 2024. This one has no URL, which is fine for a legal reference.

  • Parenthetical citation(Bloodborne Pathogens, 2024)
  • Narrative citationBloodborne Pathogens (2024)

A proposed rule in the Federal Register: FDA's menthol cigarette standard

FDA's 2022 proposal to ban menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes, a common source in public health papers. It was published as a proposed rule, so it isn't in the C.F.R. The reference says "proposed" and names the part it would create, 21 C.F.R. Part 1162.

  • Parenthetical citation(Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes, 2022)
  • Narrative citationTobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes (2022)

A final rule that isn't in the annual C.F.R. yet: the nursing home staffing repeal

CMS's December 2025 rule repealing the 2024 minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities, an interim final rule effective February 2, 2026. The 2025 edition of 42 C.F.R. § 483.35, revised as of October 1, 2025, still prints the old staffing minimums. To write about the repeal, cite the rule in the Federal Register, with its date and no "proposed."

  • Parenthetical citation(Repeal of Minimum Staffing Standards, 2025)
  • Narrative citationRepeal of Minimum Staffing Standards (2025)

In-text citations

A regulation's in-text citation uses its name and the year, because the name sits where an author would. The name isn't italicized, in the citation or in your sentences.

  • Parenthetical: (Bloodborne Pathogens, 2024)
  • Narrative: the Bloodborne Pathogens standard (2024) requires employers to offer the hepatitis B vaccine.
  • A long name: use a shortened title, like (Additional Protections for Children, 2025). Keep its first words, so your reader can find it on the references page.
  • A proposed or final rule in the Federal Register: the year it was published, like (Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes, 2022)

Pointing to one paragraph? Name it in your sentence: 45 C.F.R. § 46.116(b) lists the basic elements of informed consent, and § 482.23(b) sets the hospital standard for staffing and delivery of care. Your reference still cites the whole section.

Common mistakes

  • U.S. Department of Labor. (2024). Bloodborne pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030).Bloodborne Pathogens, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1030 (2024).Regulations take the legal form, like laws and court cases: the name, then the citation, then the year. The agency isn't listed as an author, and nothing is italicized.
  • 29 CFR 1910.103029 C.F.R. § 1910.1030Government websites drop the periods and the section symbol. APA follows legal citation form, which uses both, with a space after the §.
  • Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes, 87 FR 26454 (May 4, 2022).Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes, 87 Fed. Reg. 26454 (proposed May 4, 2022) (to be codified at 21 C.F.R. § 1162).The Federal Register abbreviates to Fed. Reg. in a reference, not FR. A proposed rule also says "proposed" before the date and where it would be codified.
  • Condition of Participation: Nursing Services, 42 C.F.R. § 482.23 (2019).Condition of Participation: Nursing Services, 42 C.F.R. § 482.23 (2025).The year is the C.F.R. edition you read, not the year the section was last changed. The eCFR shows the date the current wording took effect. That date isn't an edition.
  • Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Repeal of Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities, 90 Fed. Reg. 55687 (proposed December 3, 2025) (to be codified at 42 C.F.R. § 483).Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Repeal of Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities, 90 Fed. Reg. 55687 (December 3, 2025) (to be codified at 42 C.F.R. § 483).Only proposed rules say "proposed." Check the ACTION line on the rule's first page: "Proposed rule" gets it, and "Final rule" or "Interim final rule" doesn't.

Quick checklist

  • The regulation's name in title case, not italic
  • Title number, C.F.R., §, and the section, or §§ and an en dash for a range
  • The year of the C.F.R. edition you read
  • Not in the C.F.R. yet? Volume, Fed. Reg., first page, and the full date
  • "Proposed" only for proposed rules, then where it will be codified
  • In text: the name, or a shortened title, and the year

Questions students ask

What's the difference between the C.F.R. and the Federal Register?

The Federal Register is the government's daily publication, where agencies print new rules, proposed rules, and notices in the order they come out. The Code of Federal Regulations takes the rules in force and organizes them by subject into 50 titles, updated once a year. Cite the C.F.R. for a regulation that's in effect, and the Federal Register for a proposed rule or a new rule that hasn't reached the C.F.R. yet.

Which year goes in a C.F.R. reference?

The year of the C.F.R. edition you used. Each title is reissued once a year, on a set date: Title 29 on July 1, and Titles 42 and 45 on October 1. GovInfo prints the edition at the top of each section, such as "Revised as of October 1, 2025."

Can I cite the eCFR instead of the annual edition?

The eCFR at ecfr.gov is the most current version, updated daily. It's a fine place to read, but it doesn't have edition years. Check the same section in the latest annual edition on GovInfo and cite that year. If the section changed after that edition came out, cite the Federal Register rule that changed it, the way the staffing repeal example does.

How do I know if a rule is proposed or final?

Look at the ACTION line near the top of the rule's first page in the Federal Register. "Proposed rule" means it's still a proposal, so your reference says "proposed." "Final rule" or "Interim final rule" means it's in effect or will be, so the date stands alone. On federalregister.gov, the same label appears above the rule's title.

Do I cite HHS, CMS, or OSHA as the author?

No. Regulations don't list an author in APA 7. The regulation's name goes first, and it's what you use in your in-text citations. You can name the agency in your sentence, as in "OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard (2024)." If you used an agency's webpage that explains a rule, cite that webpage with the agency as the author.

How do I cite the HIPAA Privacy Rule?

The Privacy Rule is a regulation in 45 C.F.R. Part 164, so it takes this format. HIPAA itself is the 1996 law, which takes a statute reference. The HIPAA guide covers both, along with HHS's HIPAA pages.

Does a federal regulation go on my references page?

Yes. Regulations get full reference entries in APA 7, alphabetized by their first word along with everything else.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 11.1–11.3 (legal reference format and in-text citations) and 11.7 (administrative and executive materials), which follow the legal citation format of The Bluebook (Rule 14.2 for regulations). Example sources verified against GovInfo's annual C.F.R. editions (42 C.F.R. and 45 C.F.R. revised as of October 1, 2025; 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1030 revised as of July 1, 2024, the newest edition of that volume on GovInfo), the eCFR's structure of 45 C.F.R. Part 46, Subpart D, and the Federal Register pages for 87 Fed. Reg. 26454 (proposed rule, May 4, 2022) and 90 Fed. Reg. 55687 (interim final rule, December 3, 2025) on GovInfo and federalregister.gov.

PERRLA builds federal regulation references from a C.F.R. citation or a Federal Register link, with §§, Fed. Reg., and the proposed date handled for you.

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